A US judge said she would fast-track the Twitter case against Elon Musk, setting the stage for a high-profile trial in October.
The social media platform has sued to hold Musk to his $44-billion takeover offer and a Delaware judge said it deserved a quick resolution of the deal’s uncertainty.
The ruling is a blow to Musk, who pushed for a trial in February 2023 to allow for an extensive investigation into his claims that Twitter has misrepresented the number of fake or spam accounts on its platform.
The question of whether Twitter’s user numbers are inflated is core to his contention that he can walk away from the deal.
The company, which had requested a September trial, says the issue is a distraction and deal terms require Musk to pay up.
Twitter had argued that delaying the trial into the next year could threaten deal financing.
Kathaleen McCormick, chancellor of the Court of Chancery in Delaware, said on Tuesday that the company deserved a swift decision on its claims.
“The reality is delay threatens irreparable harm to the sellers,” she said, referring to Twitter.
McCormick asked the parties to work out the schedule for the trial, which she said would last five days.
Twitter shares were up 3.4% at $39.71 on Tuesday afternoon. An attorney for Musk did not respond to a request for comment.
- Reuters, with additional editing by George Russell
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