Media Matters, a U.S. media watchdog group, has filed a lawsuit against Elon Musk‘s social media platform, X.
The lawsuit accuses X of using “abusive,” costly, and baseless lawsuits to retaliate against Media Matters for its reporting on advertising practices on X.
The lawsuit, filed in a federal court in San Francisco, seeks to block two cases that X initiated in Ireland and Singapore.
Additionally, it asks the court to confirm California as the proper venue for disputes related to X’s terms of service. Currently, X is also pursuing a lawsuit against Media Matters in a federal court in Texas.
Media Matters claims that X has launched a “vendetta-driven campaign of libel tourism” across three countries, all stemming from Media Matters’ use of X’s platform and its reporting on advertising results.
X has accused Media Matters of fabricating images and defaming the platform by suggesting that ads from major brands appeared alongside far-right extremist content. This led several companies to halt or reduce their advertising on the site.
Media Matters denies these allegations and has defended its reporting. The organization has spent millions of dollars defending itself against X’s claims.
In August, a judge refused to dismiss X’s case against Media Matters in Texas, despite Media Matters arguing that the case should be dismissed due to its lack of connection to Texas.
Last year, X updated its terms of service to direct disputes to the federal court in Texas, where conservative litigants often receive favorable rulings.
Musk acquired X, formerly known as Twitter, in 2022 for $44 billion and has since moved the company’s headquarters from San Francisco to Bastrop, Texas.
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