GEORGETOWN (dpa-AFX) – Twitter has managed to get a quick trial date in the takeover dispute with tech billionaire Elon Musk. The judge in charge scheduled a five-day trial for October on Tuesday, according to US media reports from a hearing in the Delaware Chancery Court. Twitter had aimed for a date in September, Musk’s lawyers wanted to delay the process until next year.
Ten days ago, Musk unilaterally terminated the agreement to acquire Twitter. Twitter then went to court in the US state of Delaware, where the short message service is registered. In the lawsuit, Twitter is demanding that Musk be required to complete the acquisition as agreed.
Musk accuses Twitter of misrepresenting the number of fake accounts on the platform. The service breached its contract by not providing sufficient access to check the numbers, his lawyers argue. Twitter countered that Musk’s reference to the fake profiles was just an excuse to get out of the takeover deal after the downturn in the stock markets./so/DP/he
