Elon Musk demands months to prepare for trial in Twitter lawsuit, reports say

The billionaire's lawyers disputed the social media company's request for an expedited trial

On Friday, Elon Musk fired back at Twitter’s lawsuit seeking to force him to complete his $44 billion acquisition of the platform, according to multiple news reports. AP

Tesla chief executive Elon Musk hit back on Friday at Twitter’s lawsuit seeking to force him to complete his $44 billion acquisition of the platform, according to news reports.

In a filing with the Delaware Court of Chancery, Mr Musk’s lawyers accused Twitter of withholding information about fake accounts — a preoccupation for Mr Musk — and of creating delays, providing evasive responses and putting up technical obstacles.

The filing also disputed Twitter's request for an expedited trial, claiming that it would take months to obtain information from Twitter and to depose numerous witnesses on the subject of fake accounts.

In April, Mr Musk pledged to pay $54.20 a share for Twitter, which agreed to those terms after reversing its initial opposition to the deal.

But the two sides have been bracing for a legal fight since the billionaire said a week ago that he was backing away from his agreement to buy the company.

The filing repeated several other accusations Mr Musk has lodged, including the claim that Twitter violated the acquisition agreement when it fired two high-level managers without first informing Mr Musk.

Twitter filed its lawsuit in the Delaware Court of Chancery, which frequently handles business disputes among the many corporations, including Twitter, that are incorporated there.