by Katelynn Richardson
A federal judge declined Thursday to dismiss a defamation lawsuit against Media Matters by Elon Musk’s X.
District Court Judge Reed O’Connor, a George W. Bush appointee, wrote in an order that Musk’s X had “properly pled its claim,” rejecting Media Matter’s effort to have the case tossed. The platform filed its lawsuit in November, alleging that the left-wing watchdog group “knowingly and maliciously manufactured side-by-side images depicting advertisers’ posts” beside content made by white nationalists and neo-Nazis.
The Media Matters report prompted advertisers like Apple, Disney and IBM to pull ads from the platform.
JUST IN: Judge Reed O’Connor (GW Bush appointee) rejects Media Matters' motion to dismiss libel suit brought by @Elonmusk’s X. Doc: https://t.co/nRwmPxTxKo
— Josh Gerstein (@joshgerstein) August 29, 2024
X is seeking an injunction requiring Media Matters to remove the article as well as damages caused by its conduct. The company alleged Media Matters actions were “driving away X’s advertisers and revenue precisely as intended.”
“Nothing in Media Matters’ campaign was coincidental or accidental,” the lawsuit alleges.
The split second court opens on Monday, X Corp will be filing a thermonuclear lawsuit against Media Matters and ALL those who colluded in this fraudulent attack on our company pic.twitter.com/55vl7PspaQ
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 18, 2023
Media Matters president Angelo Carusone called the lawsuit “frivolous” when it was filed in November.
“This is a frivolous lawsuit meant to bully X’s critics into silence,” Carusone said in a statement, according to The Associated Press.
The trial is set to begin on April 7, 2025.
Media Matters did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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Katelynn Richardson is a reporter at Daily Caller News Foundation.
