Musk to face trial for canceling Don Lemon's X show
What's the story
A San Francisco judge has ruled that the lawsuit filed by former CNN anchor Don Lemon against tech billionaire Elon Musk and his social media platform X can go to trial. The decision comes after Musk's team attempted to have the case moved to Texas and sought its dismissal altogether. Lemon's lawsuit stems from the abrupt termination of their partnership shortly after a tense interview with Musk.
Allegations
Judge Kahn's ruling
In his ruling, Judge Harold Kahn noted that Lemon and his legal team had made plausible allegations against Musk and X. The claims include "fraud by false promise" and the existence of "an implied contract" between the parties. Lemon's lawsuit was filed in August 2024 after X canceled their partnership just hours after he interviewed Musk for a new show on the platform.
Interview details
Lemon confronts Musk over his controversial posts on X
During the interview, Lemon confronted Musk over several controversial issues he had posted or amplified on X. These included the so-called "great replacement theory" and other biased tropes and falsehoods. Lemon also questioned Musk about content moderation on X and a reported increase in antisemitic content on the platform after his $44 billion leveraged buyout of Twitter in late 2022.
Background
Other lawsuits against Musk and X
Lemon was fired from CNN in 2023 after allegations of mistreating coworkers and making sexist comments on-air. He later apologized for his remarks about politician Nikki Haley. Meanwhile, Musk and X have been hit by several other lawsuits over non-payment to vendors and failure to provide promised severance packages to employees laid off from Twitter.