July 14, 2025
Judge Harold Kahn ruled in Lemon’s favor after Musk’s team attempted to have the lawsuit moved to a Texas court and tried to convince a judge to have all the claims thrown out.
A San Francisco judge ruled that a lawsuit from former CNN anchor Don Lemon against former Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) director and X owner Elon Musk for the canceled X partnership can go to trial, CNBC reports.
Lemon filed the litigation in August 2024 after Musk canceled a partnership with the ex-CNN journalist just hours after he wrapped up an interview with the billionaire. The tense exchange was scheduled to be the premiere of Lemon’s new show hosted on the social media app. The host of YouTube’s “The Don Lemon Show” and his lawyers claim Musk and X committed “fraud by false promise” with “an implied contract” between the two parties.
Judge Harold Kahn ruled in Lemon’s favor after Musk’s team attempted to have the lawsuit moved to a Texas court and tried to convince a judge to have all the claims thrown out. Attorney Carney Shegerian said Kahn’s ruling holds Musk accountable for his actions. “The ruling means Don can hold X and Musk accountable in open court. Musk is subject to the legal process, just like everyone else, and that’s important,” Shegerian said in a statement, according to Fox Business.
“There’s no question about Musk’s motives and liability, as documented in his own texts and on X for millions to see.”
The controversial interview, scheduled to air in March 2023, included Lemon pressing Musk on a number of hot topics, with the billionaire pushing the so-called “great replacement theory” and other bigoted tropes and falsehoods, such as posts that claimed there was a “Hispanic invasion” of immigrants to the U.S. The $1.5 million lawsuit claims Musk and X promised the journalist that he would have “full authority and control over the work he produced, even if disliked” by the Tesla founder and his team.
Musk labeled the interview as “invasive and charged.” At the time, Lemon said he was unaware of any restrictions. “There were no restrictions on the interview that he willingly agreed to, and my questions were respectful and wide-ranging, covering everything from SpaceX to the presidential election,” the journalist once said.
Both Lemon and Musk have been under scrutiny over the past few years, starting when Musk took over the social app formerly known as Twitter. Touching on being a “free speech” hero, Musk restored President Donald Trump’s account after being permanently banned following the Jan. 6 attacks on the U.S. Capitol, pushing severe backlash.
Lemon was let go from CNN in 2023 following accusations of co-worker mistreatment and making sexist remarks on-air, such as some made toward former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley. Lemon later apologized for the comments regarding Haley.
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