Former CNN anchor Don Lemon is suing Elon Musk after a deal with the X, formerly Twitter, owner went sour.
On Thursday (August 1), news broke that Lemon filed a complaint against Musk over an X show starring the journalist that was scrapped before its debut, per PEOPLE.
Lemon, who exited his longtime role at CNN in April 2023, announced in January that he was partnering with Musk to create "The Don Lemon Show," which would premiere exclusively on X and feature "honest debate and discussion without the hall monitors." However, Lemon said Musk backed out of the partnership just days before the show was set to debut, forcing him to air the first episode of his show independently.
Lemon's lawsuit claims that Musk "committed fraud and breach of contract, misappropriated Lemon's name and likeness and became 'unjustly enriched' when the platform kept the money made from Lemon's videos and posts, among other allegations," PEOPLE reports.
"During Lemon’s June 16, 2023 phone conversation with Musk, Musk asked Lemon to enter into an exclusive partnership deal with X and commented to him: 'I want you on the [X] platform' and 'this is what you should be doing,'" the suit alleges.
"Lemon expressed reservations about entering into a partnership with X due to the ongoing controversies surrounding the X platform," the suit continues. "In response, and to induce Lemon to enter into an exclusive partnership deal with X, Musk represented to Lemon that he would have full authority and control over the work he produced even if disliked by Defendants, and that there would be no need for a formal written agreement or to 'fill out paperwork.' "
Since ending the partnership, Lemon's attorneys allege that Musk has "tweeted negatively about Lemon repeatedly" to his "very large audience."
"This case is straightforward," Lemon’s attorney Carney Shegerian said in a statement. "X executives used Don to prop up their advertising sales pitch, then canceled their partnership and dragged Don's name through the mud."
"You don’t have to be a genius to see the fraud, negligence, and reputational damage here. Don is an accomplished and hard-hitting journalist who’s committed to defending his good name and holding X's executives accountable," Shegerian continued. "We look forward to our day in court.”
Lemon is seeking financial restitution and a jury trial.
On Friday (August 1), Musk responded to Lemon's lawsuit on X, saying "He made a series of impressively insane demands. We declined. Therefore, there was no deal."
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