On Thursday, March 5, 2026, Business Standard reported that Elon Musk testified he felt compelled to finalize his purchase of Twitter Inc. in 2022 at the full $44 billion price due to perceived bias from the Delaware judge overseeing the case.
Musk stated in court that Judge Kathaleen St. J. McCormick of the Delaware Chancery Court was biased against him during the lawsuit, which led to his decision to complete the acquisition. This marks the first time Musk has publicly stated the reason behind his backing down from the fight with Twitter.
Musk told jurors that his legal team cautioned him against pursuing the case, citing McCormick’s bias. She issued several pretrial rulings that favored the company. He quoted his lawyers as saying they had no choice but to concede.
Musk’s testimony occurred during a trial where Twitter investors are claiming Musk manipulated the platform’s share price to acquire it at a lower cost. Musk downplayed the impact of his tweets criticizing the company, claiming he was merely expressing his opinion.
A representative for the Delaware court has yet to comment on Musk’s allegations of bias.
In related news, McCormick previously voided Musk’s Tesla Inc. pay package, which had set a record for executive compensation in the United States when it was agreed to in 2018, though the Delaware Supreme Court reinstated it in December.
McCormick’s rulings against Musk influenced his decision to move Tesla’s corporate headquarters from Delaware to Texas. Other companies, including Dropbox and TripAdvisor, also left Delaware. In response, Delaware enacted legislation to grant controlling shareholders more flexibility under state laws to safeguard its incorporation business.
Source: Business Standard
