Elon Musk's $44 billion purchase of Twitter in 2022 drew widespread criticism and impacted the company's stock price with a 9.6% drop in a single day.
Now, the deal is back at the center of a civil trial in federal court in San Francisco. According to the Independent, dozens of potential jurors were dismissed after concerns were raised about their strong opinions against Musk. His own lawyer said in a statement that many Americans "hate him."
The Independent reported that a group of investors is suing Musk, claiming he made misleading statements about how many fake spam accounts were on Twitter during the acquisition process. Nearly 40 potential jurors were quickly dismissed after saying they couldn't put their personal views aside. Bloomberg Law reported that nine jurors were selected from a pool of 93 after more than five hours of questioning.
"We have so many people in the venire who hate him so much that we're becoming desensitized," Musk's lawyer, Stephen Broome, said, according to Bloomberg Law.
Broome explained that in most cases, if someone openly said they hated the defendant, they would automatically be removed from serving as a juror. People have been critical of Musk in recent years. To name a couple of examples, there's been significant backlash to his private-jet use and his chatbot, Grok, which has previously been accused of amplifying antisemitic rhetoric and being widely used to create nonconsensual explicit images.
In response to the Twitter case, U.S. District Judge Charles R. Breyer said it is different because Musk is a public figure, per the Independent. Breyer said Musk is similar to the president in that he expresses strong opinions, but the key question is whether jurors can set those opinions aside.
The trial is expected to begin March 2 and last about two weeks, according to the Independent. The lawsuit focuses on Musk's public comments during the takeover, including a May 13, 2022, tweet stating that the Twitter deal was on hold while he reviewed information on spam and fake accounts.
If you want to better understand these complex issues involving corporate power and responsibility (including environmental ones), look into how mainstream companies handle their business and talk to friends and family about these important topics.
|
Which of these savings plans for rooftop solar panels would be most appealing for you?
Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. |
Save $1,000 this year 💸 
Get TCD's free newsletters for easy tips to save more, waste less, and make smarter choices — and earn up to $5,000 toward clean upgrades in TCD's exclusive Rewards Club.
Cool Picks
