A U.S. judge has rejected Elon Musk’s legal action against the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), a nonprofit that criticized him for allowing more hate speech on his social media site, once called Twitter.
U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer in San Francisco said Musk’s company, X Corp, filed the lawsuit to retaliate against CCDH’s criticism. Breyer noted X Corp seemed more focused on stopping CCDH’s speech than dealing with how data was collected.
X Corp plans to appeal the decision. The ruling is a setback for Musk, who sees himself as a defender of free speech.
Criticism has followed Musk since he bought Twitter in October 2022, mainly about how the platform handles false information and abusive posts.
Imran Ahmed, CEO of CCDH, praised the judge’s decision, saying it upholds their right to make social media firms accountable.
Roberta Kaplan, a lawyer for CCDH, said the ruling shows Musk can’t sidestep the law to suit himself.
U.S. judge dismisses Elon Musk’s lawsuit against anti-hate group (Via Tom Bates/Getty Images)
Musk and his firms face other legal fights, including claims of bad behavior toward past Twitter leaders and suppliers.
Tesla, under Musk, has been sued over claims it allowed workplace bullying, which the company denies.
X Corp’s lawsuit said CCDH broke user rules and sought tens of millions of dollars in damages.
Judge Breyer said X Corp’s claims lacked proof, and Musk’s role in Twitter’s rules wasn’t clear when CCDH first joined.
The dismissal shows how important free speech is, while also making sure social media firms are accountable.
