Elon Musk and Chamath Palihapitiya
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Twitter has subpoenaed Chamath Palihapitiya and multiple members of Musk’s social circle.
One of Musk’s associates called the legal requests a “giant harassing fishing expedition.”
Twitter has also subpoenaed the banks that are helping finance the $44 billion purchase.
Twitter has issued a slew of subpoenas to some of Silicon Valley’s biggest names amid its legal battle with Elon Musk, The Washington Post first reported.
Twitter sent legal requests to billionaire investors Chamath Palihapitiya and Marc Andreessen on Monday, according to documents that were obtained by The Post. The publication said Twitter also subpoenaed one of the entrepreneurs that helped Musk found PayPal, David Sacks, SpaceX and Tesla board member Stephen Jurvetson, as well as investors Jason Calacanis, Keith Rabois, and Joe Lonsdale.
The legal requests could require the men to testify in court when the five-day trial starts in October.
Rabois declined to comment on the subpoena when contacted by Insider. Twitter, Musk, Palihapitiya, Andreessen, Sacks, Jurvetson, Calacanis, and Lonsdale did not respond to a request for comment from Insider ahead of publication.
Lonsdale dubbed the social media company’s legal requests a “giant harassing fishing expedition,” on Twitter.
—Joe Lonsdale (@JTLonsdale) August 1, 2022
Sacks also responded to the subpoena on Twitter with an image of a middle finger.
—David Sacks (@DavidSacks) August 2, 2022
The social media company is requesting information from Musk’s social circle related to any communication between the Tesla CEO and his social circle related to bots or spam. The legal request also includes any information related to Musk’s appearance at the All-In Summit in May — an event he attended with Palihapitiya, Sacks, and Calacanis. At the Miami event, Musk appeared to backtrack on his plans to buy Twitter, weeks before he officially attempted to pull out of the $44 billion deal in July.
Notably, some of the individuals that received legal requests from Twitter have not been openly involved in Musk’s deal to purchase the company. Though, Calacanis and Andreessen have publicly helped the billionaire in his efforts to finance the deal.
The missives to Musk’s social circle came after Twitter sent subpoenas to several banks that were helping finance the deal, including Morgan Stanley, Citigroup, and Bank of America.
The case is being tried in Delaware. Last month, Twitter appeared to win its first battle against Musk when Chancery Court judge Kathaleen St. J. McCormick agreed to an expedited trial. The social media company is suing to compel Musk to buy the company for $44 billion.
Multiple experts previously told Insider that Musk faces an uphill battle in his efforts to get out of the deal due to the ironclad contract he signed earlier this year.