Tech billionaire Elon Musk’s X, formerly known as Twitter, has been given the green light to proceed with its lawsuit against left-wing censorship group Media Matters. A United States District Judge, Reed O’Connor, has scheduled a trial date for April 7, 2025 – a moment of truth in this high-stakes battle.
The judge denied Media Matters’ request for an early exit from the case. Discovery will proceed, and a jury trial is now set for April of this coming year. 👀https://t.co/fR4inNBtnN
— Legal Insurrection (@LegInsurrection) August 30, 2024
X had filed a lawsuit against Media Matters in November 2023 for publishing an article that he claimed caused a mass exodus of advertisers from the platform. In that article, it stated that under Musk’s ownership, the site became a haven for white nationalist and antisemitic content; hence, major brands such as Apple, IBM, and Disney pulled their ads from the platform.
An early public supporter of former President Donald Trump’s presidential bid, Musk hasn’t pulled punches since the lawsuit was filed, labeling Media Matters “pure evil.”
The complaint centers largely on allegations that Media Matters gamed X’s ad system to produce highly unlikely and damaging ad placements next to controversial content. One such harmful pairing, according to X, appeared for “only one viewer out of more than 500 million” users on the platform.
These public claims notwithstanding, Media Matters remains defiant. Angelo Carusone, the president of the organization, labeled the lawsuit “frivolous” and argued that Musk is “attempting to bully critics into silence”.
Carusone said that Media Matters stands behind their reporting and is confident in winning the case.
In a related ruling, O’Connor denied a motion submitted by Media Matters that Musk be forced to declare Tesla an interested party in the suit. The judge found that there was no evidence Tesla has a direct financial interest in the outcome of this suit-a small victory for Musk as the case proceeds.
This is not the only lawsuit X has in litigation, though. X is also suing the Global Alliance for Responsible Media, a coalition including companies such as Unilever and CVS Health. Oddly enough, Judge O’Connor recused himself from that case, citing his investments in Unilever.
