In a bid to defend against a new lawsuit demanding $10 billion, social media behemoth, Twitter has reportedly engaged a law firm that the company’s current owner and CEO, Elon Musk, had criticized on the site.
According to Reuters, lawyers from Perkins Coie informed a San Francisco judge on Wednesday that they will be defending Twitter and its former CEO Jack Dorsey in a case brought by a far-right activist named Laura Loomer.
With a $10 billion damage demand, Looner launched a civil action against Twitter and other defendants, alleging that social media moguls, the federal government, and corporations are “unlawfully” stifling conservative voices and meddling in American elections.
The company’s legal counsel in the litigation was Jenner & Block, but Perkins Coie has subsequently taken their position.
At least twice on social media, Musk had blasted the legal firm.
He slammed Michael Sussman, a lawyer with Perkins Coie who served as a campaign adviser to Hillary Clinton in 2016, in a tweet on December 8.
Sussman was accused of lying to FBI general counsel, James Baker, when the latter inquired as to whether he was representing Clinton when he provided the FBI with supposed proof of connections between a Russian bank and the Trump Organization.
“There’s a lot more to full transparency just re Russiagate than getting rid of Baker but it’s a big step,” Former State Department adviser Amanda Milius tweeted on Dec. 6, 2022. “If Perkins Coie is @elonmusk Twitter’s outside counsel this isn’t remotely enough.”
Musk stated in response to Milius that Perkins Coie was not being used by Twitter.
“No company should use them until they make amends for Sussman’s attempt to corrupt a Presidential election,” he said.
On May 20, 2022, Musk also criticized the law office in relation to a legal dispute Tesla was embroiled in.
He declared that he was “Looking for hardcore streetfighters, not white-shoe lawyers like Perkins or Cooley who thrive on corruption,” he said. “There will be blood.”
In at least six additional lawsuits that were brought before Musk took control of the social media platform in October, Perkins Coie is reportedly representing Twitter, according to Reuters.