Twitter’s former PR firm has reportedly filed a lawsuit against the micro-blogging platform for non-payment of bills. This is not the first time that Twitter, led by Elon Musk, has been involved in legal disputes.
Recently, a group of ex-Twitter employees also filed a lawsuit against Elon Musk, accusing him of violating federal and labor laws.
Elon Musk acquired Twitter in a highly-publicized deal in October 2022, which was valued at USD 44 billion and garnered significant media attention. Following the acquisition, Musk implemented several changes, including the removal of the then CEO, Parag Agrawal, and several other top executives.
At present, Twitter does not have a communications department, and any emails sent to its press ID receive a response in the form of a ‘poop emoji.’
A recent Reuters report reveals that the PR firm Joele Frank, which was previously engaged by Twitter, has filed a lawsuit against the social media platform for non-payment of bills since Elon Musk assumed control of the company.
The firm claims that Twitter owes them a total of USD 830,498, encompassing six unpaid bills and costs associated with a subpoena in Twitter’s legal action to compel Musk to complete the acquisition after he expressed intentions to withdraw.
According to the report, the PR firm stated that Twitter terminated their contract on November 16 but has failed to settle the outstanding bills. Furthermore, Twitter has provided minimal communication regarding the payment, offering only an automated response indicating that the payment will commence processing immediately.
In addition to the aforementioned lawsuit filed by Joele Frank, six former Twitter employees have initiated legal action against Elon Musk, accusing him of intentionally violating federal and labor laws. This lawsuit has attracted the attention of San Francisco officials, who have expressed their intention to investigate the matter further.
According to the claims made in the lawsuit, one of the employees named Joseph Killian, who previously held the position of Twitter’s global head of construction design, alleges that he was compelled to resign after being repeatedly instructed to disregard California’s building codes while constructing Musk’s “Twitter Hotel rooms.”
These rooms were commissioned by Elon Musk, who desired accommodations for individuals working overnight at Twitter. Interestingly, in an attempt to avoid drawing attention, the “Hotel Rooms” were discreetly renamed as “Sleeping Rooms.”
Additionally, the lawsuit claims that Elon Musk requested the installation of locks in these rooms that would not open automatically during emergencies. This particular detail raised concerns as such locks could potentially pose a serious risk to the safety of employees if they were present in the rooms during an emergency situation.
Furthermore, the legal action asserts that Musk refused to pay rent for Twitter offices and expressed that he would only consider doing so “over his dead body.” According to the lawsuit, a member of the transition team conveyed that “Elon doesn’t pay rent,” while another member stated that Musk explicitly told them he would only pay rent “over his dead body.”
Moreover, the lawsuit alleges that Twitter engaged the services of brokers and vendors but terminated their contracts when they requested payment for their services. This suggests a pattern of non-payment and possible mistreatment of service providers by the company.
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Information Source: IndiaToday