Musk's X heads to court in lawsuit against Media Matters
What's the story
Elon Musk's social media platform X is set to face Media Matters for America in a courtroom battle next year. This development follows US District Court Judge Reed O'Connor's decision not to dismiss the lawsuit filed by the billionaire's company. The judge ruled that X had sufficiently demonstrated the plausibility of its claims against Media Matters, which were made in a 2023 lawsuit.
Legal viewpoint
Judge O'Connor's perspective on the lawsuit
Judge O'Connor stated that all well-pleaded facts in the complaint must be accepted as true and viewed in a light most favorable to the plaintiff. He acknowledged that many of these facts are disputed but noted that because the allegations could potentially be true and were reasonably argued, X "has provided sufficient allegations to survive dismissal." This statement underlines his reasoning for allowing the case to proceed.
Dispute origin
The root of the dispute between X and Media Matters
The dispute originated from research reports published by Media Matters in November 2023. These reports highlighted ads from companies like IBM, Apple, Oracle, and AT&T appearing alongside posts promoting hate speech on X. The social media company quickly disputed these findings, alleging that Media Matters had intentionally created misleading images showing advertisers' posts next to extremist content on their social media platform.
Counterclaims
X's allegations and Media Matters's response
X claimed that "Media Matters knowingly and maliciously manufactured side-by-side images depicting advertisers' posts on X Corp.'s social media platform beside Neo-Nazi and white-nationalist fringe content." They further alleged that these images were misrepresented as typical user experiences on their platform. In response, Media Matters labeled the lawsuit as "frivolous" and an attempt to "bully X's critics into silence," requesting its dismissal in March.
Jurisdiction affirmation
Judge O'Connor affirms his court's jurisdiction over the case
Media Matters argued for dismissal on grounds that the northern district of Texas didn't have jurisdiction, the venue was improper, and that X failed to state a claim. However, Judge O'Connor affirmed his court's jurisdiction over the matter as X had included Oracle and AT&T—both headquartered in Texas—in its original suit. He also stated that X "sufficiently alleges a substantial part of the events occurred within the Northern District of Texas," thus meeting the venue requirement as well.
Brazilian conflict
X's separate legal battle in Brazil
In a separate legal battle, X has been banned in Brazil due to non-compliance with local laws and lack of a legal representative in the country. The order was issued by Alexandre de Moraes, a justice of the Brazilian Supreme Court. This followed Musk's decision to shut down X's office in Brazil after Justice Moraes threatened arrests for not adhering to his orders. The orders were related to the removal of certain X accounts that were allegedly violating Brazilian laws.