Don Lemon files lawsuit against Elon Musk and X following dispute over his new show

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA: Don Lemon is seeking retribution after Elon Musk abruptly ended his short-term agreement with the tech billionaire and his media company, X (formerly Twitter).

The former CNN anchor has filed a lawsuit against Musk and X, alleging fraud, negligent misrepresentation, misappropriation of his name and likeness, and breach of contract.

Lemon's legal team filed the lawsuit on Thursday, August 1, in the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco, according to OKMagazine.

What did Don Lemon’s attorneys claim in their lawsuit against Elon Musk and X?

The lawsuit states, “Defendants deliberately misrepresented their intentions. They knew that if they had truthfully conveyed to Lemon that the purpose of the exclusive partnership was to use his name, likeness, reputation, and identity to rehabilitate their reputation and attract advertisers to the X platform, Lemon would never have agreed to the deal. As a result, Defendants would have been unable to use Lemon to advance their efforts to attract advertisers.”

For context, Don Lemon entered into a content partnership agreement with the 53-year-old Tesla CEO and X in January 2024, with plans to host an exclusive interview-style show on the social media platform.

However, just two months later, Musk terminated the contract via text message, simply stating, "Contract is canceled."

According to court documents obtained by a news outlet, Lemon's legal action seeks unspecified financial compensation in light of the allegations against Elon Musk.

A statement from Lemon's attorney Carney Shegerian read, "This case is straightforward. X executives used Don to prop up their advertising sales pitch, then canceled their partnership and dragged Don’s name through the mud."

"You don’t have to be a genius to see the fraud, negligence, and reputational damage here," the lawyer remarked. "Don is an accomplished and hard-hitting journalist who’s committed to defending his good name and holding X's executives accountable. We look forward to our day in court."

Additionally, Shegerian accused Elon Musk of consistently tweeting negatively about Lemon since their contract termination in March, which occurred shortly after the tech tycoon's interview for Lemon's new show on X.

The discussion between the two did not go as planned, and Lemon later acknowledged in a video, "Elon Musk is mad at me."

"Throughout our conversation, I kept reiterating to him that although it was tense at times, I thought it was good for people to see and hear our exchange, and that they would learn from our conversation. ... But apparently, free speech absolutism doesn’t apply when it comes to questions about him from people like me," he stated.

Among multiple tweets about Lemon, whom Musk referred to using a lemon emoji, the billionaire claimed, "🍋 is welcome to monetize on this platform, just like everyone else. What we aren’t going to do is guarantee minimum payments to him, as he was demanding, which would be going beyond everyone else!"

He added in his questionable tweet, "Unfortunately, all 🍋 wants to do is rehash the dying CNN business model 'but on social media,' which will do even worse here than it did on cable TV."

Don Lemon hailed for suing Elon Musk and X over terminated contract

Netizens supported the former CNN anchor's grievances against the tech billionaire after the abrupt end of his brief agreement with Musk's social media company, X.

One X user remarked, "Go get him Don! That interview with Elon was liquid GOLD!"

Another user said, "Get him, Don! Elon Musk is a disgrace."

Another user wrote, "Elon just as much a monster than Donald Trump.. hope Don lemon wins his case."

One X user quipped, "Elon is a Loser like Trump."

Another user claimed, "Can’t wait to follow this suit."

Finally, this user tweeted, "Don Lemon will win!!!"

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