Jury finds Musk misled Twitter shareholders during takeover fight

A San Francisco jury found Friday that Elon Musk misled Twitter shareholders by deliberately depressing the company's stock price ahead of his $44 billion acquisition in 2022. The verdict centers on two tweets and podcast comments Musk made that the jury determined constituted deliberate fraud designed to drive down the share price before his takeover. The ruling exposes Musk to potential financial liability to shareholders who sold their stock during the period when he was publicly casting doubt on the deal's completion. The case represents one of the most significant legal defeats for Musk in his business dealings and underscores the legal risks he faced from Twitter shareholders who alleged coordinated market manipulation. The jury's finding could trigger damage assessments and appeals that may drag through courts for years.