The criminal showdown between billionaire Elon Musk and Twitter has formally begun.

On Tuesday, Twitter sued Elon Musk to finish his $44 billion acquire of the social media platform, a transfer that units up what is going to most probably be a messy and long criminal combat. The stakes are top for Twitter as the corporate offers with fallout from what has been a messy courting with the sector’s richest guy. 

In a 62-page lawsuit filed in Delaware’s Courtroom of Chancery, Twitter driven again towards a number of arguments Musk’s criminal workforce made when he advised Twitter he now not deliberate to shop for the corporate. The corporate accused Musk of breaching the settlement and known as his go out technique a “type of hypocrisy.”

The lawsuit notes that Musk’s stake in Tesla declined by way of greater than $100 billion from its height in November 2021 and that’s the reason the explanation why the billionaire needs to again out of the deal.

“Musk it seems that believes that he — not like each and every different birthday celebration topic to Delaware contract regulation — is unfastened to switch his thoughts, trash the corporate, disrupt its operations, damage stockholder worth, and stroll away,”  the criticism said. The lawsuit used to be previous reported by way of The New York Occasions.

Remaining week, Musk knowledgeable Twitter in a letter that he used to be finishing the settlement to shop for the social media corporate. On the time, Twitter mentioned it deliberate to take criminal motion to put in force the settlement. Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, argued that Twitter breached the settlement by way of no longer disclosing the way it estimates the collection of junk mail accounts at the platform. Twitter estimated within the first quarter that fewer than 5% of Twitter’s 229 million day-to-day customers had been pretend or spam-focused however Musk thinks the quantity is far upper. The billionaire mentioned getting that data used to be the most important a part of working out Twitter’s industry, which makes maximum of its cash from advertisements.

Twitter mentioned within the lawsuit that Musk used to be neatly conscious that there have been caveats to the information and the settlement mentioned that the tips he asked should be for a “cheap industry objective” associated with finishing the deal. Musk made “unreasonable” requests however Twitter nonetheless attempted to paintings with him to get him additional information. His requests for extra information, Twitter alleged within the lawsuit, had been “designed to check out to tank the deal.” Twitter notes that Musk’s skill to finish the settlement could be very restricted however he “sought after an get away.” 

Twitter additionally alleges that Musk violated the settlement by way of making public feedback Twitter did not consent to and posting disparaging tweets. In Might, Musk tweeted a “misrepresentation” of what number of accounts Twitter samples to estimate the quantity of junk mail accounts on its platform, in line with the lawsuit. Musk additionally tweeted that Twitter’s criminal workforce complained to him about violating a nondisclosure settlement. When Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal tweeted extra information about how the corporate battles junk mail accounts, Musk answered with a poop emoji.

The lawsuit cites different tweets Musk shared over the weekend after telling Twitter he sought after to again out of the deal. One tweet incorporated a meme with actor Chuck Norris in entrance of a chess board.

“For Musk, it will appear, Twitter, the pursuits of its stockholders, the transaction Musk agreed to, and the court docket procedure to put in force all of it represent an elaborate shaggy dog story,” the lawsuit mentioned.

Twitter additionally driven again towards different arguments Musk is attempting to make to finish the deal. Musk alleges Twitter breached part of the settlement that mentioned the corporate needed to search and acquire consent prior to straying from “its legal responsibility to habits its industry within the abnormal path,” after the social community fired key executives, laid off group of workers and iced up hiring. However Twitter mentioned within the lawsuit that the corporate did negotiate a proper to rent and hearth workers in any respect ranges with no need to hunt Musk’s consent. The corporate, despite the fact that, did you have to be wary and sought Musk’s consent for a number of key choices together with about two worker retention systems however he used to be “non-committal.”

The lawsuit additionally finds that Twitter used to be suspicious that Musk used to be leaving behind efforts to finance the deal. When the social community attempted to get extra details about how Musk used to be going to pay for the corporate, the billionaire despatched a textual content to Agrawal and Twitter’s Leader Monetary Officer Ned Segal.

“Your legal professionals are the usage of those conversations to motive bother,” Musk mentioned in a textual content that Twitter cited within the lawsuit. “That should forestall.”

The lawsuit used to be extensively anticipated. Over the weekend, Twitter known as Musk’s termination of the deal each “invalid and wrongful.” 

Bret Taylor, the chair of the social community’s board, introduced the submitting in a tweet, announcing the corporate aimed to carry Musk “responsible to his contractual tasks.” 

Dan Ives, an analyst at Wedbush Securities, mentioned the wrangling between Musk and Twitter had produced “no winners.”

“This has been a black eye for Musk and horror film for Twitter (and its workers) without a winners for the reason that cleaning soap opera started in April,” he mentioned in a word. Attainable results come with a agreement, a breakup price and the deal being enforced. 

Musk’s legal professional Mike Ringler did not straight away reply to a request for remark. 

After Twitter filed the lawsuit, Musk tweeted, “Oh the irony lol.”