In the action, ex-CEO Parag Agrawal and the company’s former senior legal and finance officers argue that they are owed more than $1 million and that Twitter is legally obligated to pay them.
Three top Twitter executives who were fired by Elon Musk when he took over the business last year filed a lawsuit on Monday, seeking reimbursement for the costs of litigation, investigations, and congressional inquiries connected to their former positions. In the action, ex-CEO Parag Agrawal and the company’s former senior legal and finance officers argue that they are owed more than $1 million and that Twitter is legally obligated to pay them.
As is customary, Twitter responded to an AFP request for comment with a feces emoji. The court statement detailed various expenses connected to investigations by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Department of Justice (DOJ), but it did not specify the scope of the investigations or whether they were still continuing.
According to court records, Agrawal and then-chief financial officer Ned Segal testified to the SEC last year and “have continued to engage with federal authorities.”
The SEC is looking into whether Musk followed securities laws when he purchased Twitter shares.
Following Musk’s publication of so-called “Twitter Files” linked to the site’s content moderation late last year, former Twitter chief legal officer Vijaya Gadde was summoned to testify before a US Senate panel on big tech and free speech.
According to the document, Gadde was also identified as a defendant in a case filed by a guy who claimed he was “doxed” on Twitter as a white nationalist.
Musk fired Agrawal, Gadde, and Segal in late October after closing his contingency fund. Musk fired Agrawal, Gadde, and Segal in late October after completing his acrimonious $44 billion buyout of Twitter.Twitter is being taken over for $44 billion.
The three former executives claim Twitter is obligated to reimburse them but has done nothing more than acknowledge receipt of their invoices. After taking over Twitter, Musk swiftly reduced the number of staff, raising concerns about the platform’s reliability and ability to combat misinformation and other abuse.
Complaints have also been lodged accusing Twitter of failing to pay rent or other fees, despite Musk’s pledge to “cut costs like crazy.”
Meanwhile, market watchers report that Twitter’s advertising revenue has dropped due to fears about disinformation and abusive content flourishing as Musk scales back moderating efforts.
(Note: This story was adapted from a wire service feed with no changes to the text. Only the title has been altered.)
