Home » US business news » Will Elon Musk start slinging insults at Twitter’s lawyers in $44 billion takeover court battle?

Will Elon Musk start slinging insults at Twitter’s lawyers in $44 billion takeover court battle?

By Nithya Bose in US business news, posted September 27, 2022

Elon Musk is set to take the stand in the legal battle over the $44 billion takeover he now wants no part of.

Twitter lawyers will interview Musk on his unexpected decision in July to withdraw from the deal with the social media company.

In the past, the billionaire's tendency has been to sling insults while being questioned under oath, which is likely to be tested in the upcoming case.

Twitter's attorneys will most likely try to use the interview to prove Musk canceled the deal due to declining financial markets.

They want to show it wasn't because the company misled him about the actual number of users or concealed security flaws, as he claimed.

Musk wants a judge to let him walk away without penalty, but Twitter wants him to acquire the firm for $54.20 per share.

During previous court battles, the world's richest man has labeled opposing attorneys "reprehensible," challenged their happiness, and attacked them with "extortion."

He once asked one attorney whether he was working on a contingency since the lawyer's client was supposedly behind on child support payments.

Musk said: "So probably you're on a contingency or you're taking that kid's money.”

Sadly for fans of court sparring, the public is not permitted to witness the high-stakes Twitter interview.

A court filing last week said the Musk deposition would begin on Monday (September 26) and continue till Wednesday if required.

However, sources familiar with the deposition said Musk was not interrogated on Monday, and they did not know when it would begin or why it had been delayed.

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James Morsch, a corporate litigator who is not part of the legal case said Musk's lawyers would try to keep him focused on answering questions.

He added that dealing with such a smart and outspoken witness might be difficult.

In a 2019 deposition in a dispute involving Tesla's purchase of solar-panel company SolarCity, Musk declined to answer one of the opening questions five times because of the way it was worded.

A five-day trial of Twitter vs Musk is set to begin in Wilmington, Delaware, on October 17.

Twitter declined to comment, and Musk's legal team did not reply immediately to a request for comment.

Dozens of depositions are scheduled in the case, including one of Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal, as each side questions witnesses and collects evidence to prove its case.

In a court filing, Agrawal was set to answer questions from Musk's attorneys at a law firm in San Francisco on Monday.

However, sources indicated that the deposition was also postponed, although no reason was given.

Last week, Twitter co-founder and former CEO Jack Dorsey was scheduled to be deposed.

Source: Reuters

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