A federal judge in Texas has ruled against Media Matters and its request to dismiss a lawsuit filed by Elon Musk’s X.
U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor’s decision means that X’s lawsuit against the nonprofit media watchdog and two staff members will proceed to trial on April 7.
X, formerly known as Twitter, initially filed the suit in November after Media Matters published a report showing that hateful content on the platform appeared next to online ads from companies like Apple, IBM, and Disney.
The suit claimed that those companies then paused their X advertising campaigns. Attorneys representing X claimed the Media Matters report was “intentionally deceptive” and financially damaged the company.
Media Matters President Angelo Carusone, one of the defendants, said in a statement that the “frivolous lawsuit” was “meant to bully X’s critics into silence.”
In a filing, O’Connor denied the nonprofit’s effort to dismiss the case, stating that the plaintiff “has properly pled its claims.” Media Matters and X did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
In August, O’Connor dismissed Media Matters’ request to force Musk to list Tesla as an interested party in X’s lawsuit against the nonprofit.
In a legal filing, O’Connor said, “There is no evidence that shows Tesla has a direct financial interest in the outcome of this case.”
O’Connor was also overseeing X’s recently filed antitrust lawsuit against a global advertising association and its member companies, such as Unilever, Mars, and CVS Health.
However, O’Connor then recused himself from the lawsuit. Although he didn’t provide a reason for the recusal, a recent financial disclosure showed that the judge invests in Unilever.
A federal judge in Texas has ruled against Media Matters and its request to dismiss a lawsuit filed by Elon Musk’s X.
U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor’s decision means that X’s lawsuit against the nonprofit media watchdog and two staff members will proceed to trial on April 7.
X, formerly known as Twitter, initially filed the suit in November after Media Matters published a report showing that hateful content on the platform appeared next to online ads from companies like Apple, IBM, and Disney.
The suit claimed that those companies then paused their X advertising campaigns. Attorneys representing X claimed the Media Matters report was “intentionally deceptive” and financially damaged the company.
Media Matters President Angelo Carusone, one of the defendants, said in a statement that the “frivolous lawsuit” was “meant to bully X’s critics into silence.”
In a filing, O’Connor denied the nonprofit’s effort to dismiss the case, stating that the plaintiff “has properly pled its claims.” Media Matters and X did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
In August, O’Connor dismissed Media Matters’ request to force Musk to list Tesla as an interested party in X’s lawsuit against the nonprofit.
In a legal filing, O’Connor said, “There is no evidence that shows Tesla has a direct financial interest in the outcome of this case.”
O’Connor was also overseeing X’s recently filed antitrust lawsuit against a global advertising association and its member companies, such as Unilever, Mars, and CVS Health.
However, O’Connor then recused himself from the lawsuit. Although he didn’t provide a reason for the recusal, a recent financial disclosure showed that the judge invests in Unilever.