A U.S. judge has dismissed Elon Musk‘s lawsuit against the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), a nonprofit organization that criticized him for permitting an increase in hate speech on his social media platform, formerly known as Twitter.
U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer of San Francisco stated that Musk’s company, X Corp, initiated the lawsuit as a means of retaliation against CCDH’s criticisms.
Breyer emphasized that X Corp’s primary concern appeared to be silencing CCDH’s speech rather than addressing any issues related to data collection methods.
In response to the ruling, X Corp expressed its intention to appeal the decision. This outcome represents a setback for Musk, who has long portrayed himself as a champion of free speech.
His acquisition of Twitter in October 2022 has been met with criticism for the platform’s handling of misinformation and abusive content.
Imran Ahmed, CEO of CCDH, welcomed the judge’s decision, asserting the organization’s right to hold social media companies accountable for their actions.
Likewise, Roberta Kaplan, a lawyer representing CCDH, hailed the ruling as a reaffirmation that Musk cannot circumvent legal processes to suit his interests.
Beyond this legal battle, Musk and his companies have faced various other lawsuits, including allegations of improper conduct toward former Twitter executives and vendors.
Tesla under Musk’s leadership, has confronted lawsuits accusing the company of permitting harassment in the workplace, although Tesla has refuted these claims.
The lawsuit filed by X Corp against CCDH alleged breaches of a user contract and sought damages amounting to tens of millions of dollars.
Judge Breyer deemed X Corp’s claims unsubstantiated, highlighting the lack of foreseeability regarding Musk’s influence on Twitter’s content moderation policies when CCDH initially engaged with the platform.
The dismissal of Musk’s lawsuit underscores the importance of upholding free speech rights while also holding social media platforms accountable for their actions.