Judge grants Twitter expedited trial against Elon Musk

Twitter has scored a victory in its lawsuit against Elon Musk over his attempted exit from a $44 billion takeover deal. In an initial hearing, Delaware Court of Chancery chancellor Kathaleen McCormick has granted Twitter's request for an expedited, five-day trial beginning in October. The company originally sought a four-day trial in September as part of its effort to make Musk "honor his obligations."

Musk's lawyers asked the court to delay the trial to February 2023. They claimed Twitter was in a sudden rush to complete a trial and force the acquisition follow two months of alleged "foot-dragging and obfuscation" over requested data relating to bots and other fake accounts. Musk accused Twitter of underreporting the volume of bogus accounts (and failing to provide enough information) in a bid to clinch the deal. As part of the call for a delay, Musk's lawyers also claimed they needed more time to search Twitter's raw "firehose" data.

While Twitter didn't get exactly what it wanted, the ruling is a clear victory for the social network. It won't have to wait long to obtain a decision, and may force Musk to rely primarily on the claims he made when he announced plans to back out of the purchase. There's a chance Musk may have to continue with the buyout before the year is over, no matter how much he might regret making the offer.