X owner terminated agreement with former CNN anchor last year

Ex-CNN anchor Don Lemon’s lawsuit against Elon Musk and his social media platform X can go to trial, a judge ruled Tuesday.

San Francisco Superior Court Judge Harold E. Kahn ruled that Lemon can proceed with his lawsuit against Musk after the billionaire X owner unsuccessfully tried to get the case venue moved to Texas late last year, The Wrap reported.

“The ruling means Don can hold X and Musk accountable in open court.

Musk is subject to the legal process, just like everyone else, and that’s important,” the former CNN host’s lawyer, Carney Shegerian, said in a recent statement.

A San Francisco Superior Court judge ruled this week that former CNN anchor Don Lemon’s lawsuit against Elon Musk and X could go forward.

“There’s no question about Musk’s motives and liability, as documented in his own texts and on X for millions to see,” the attorney added.

Lemon first filed his lawsuit against Musk last August, alleging that the X owner breached their contract and failed to pay him after canceling the journalist’s show and partnership with the platform.

This happened following an interview the two had last year that angered Musk, who called the sit-down “invasive and charged.”

“Elon Musk has canceled the partnership I had with X, which they announced as part of their public commitment to amplifying more diverse voices on their platform.

He informed me of his decision hours after an interview I conducted with him on Friday,” Lemon wrote on X in March 2024.

Lemon filed suit last August for, among other things, alleged fraud, misrepresentation, and breach of contract.

Elon Musk at Trump’s address to a Joint Session of Congress earlier this year. (Getty Images / Getty Images)

Lemon’s interview with Musk was intended to be the premiere episode of “The Don Lemon Show” on the Tesla owner’s social media platform.

“There were no restrictions on the interview that he willingly agreed to, and my questions were respectful and wide-ranging, covering everything from SpaceX to the presidential election,” Lemon said at the time.

X provided a statement on ending its contract with Lemon that it championed free speech and welcomed him to publish its content on the platform without censorship.

“However, like any enterprise, we reserve the right to make decisions about our business partnerships, and after careful consideration, X decided not to enter into a commercial partnership with the show,” the statement said.

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Reps for Lemon and X did not immediately reply to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.