Don Lemon Sues Elon Musk and X, Alleging Fraud and Breach of Contract Over Canceled Talk Show

Attorneys for former CNN journalist Don Lemon sued Elon Musk and X (formerly known as Twitter), accusing the tech mogul and his social media company of fraud, negligent misrepresentation, misappropriation of Lemon’s name and likeness, and breach of express contract.

Lemon’s attorneys filed the lawsuit Aug. 1 in in the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco. A copy of the complaint is at this link.

Reps for X did not immediately respond to a request for comment. An autoreply from the company’s PR mailbox said, “Busy now, please check back later.”

The lawsuit comes after Lemon entered into a content partnership deal with Musk and X in January 2024 to host exclusive content on the X platform. Musk canceled the partnership in March 2024, via text to Lemon’s agent with the words “contract is canceled,” according to the journalist’s lawyers.

Lemon’s lawsuit seeks unspecified monetary damages.

Lemon’s attorney Carney Shegerian said in a statement: “This case is straightforward. 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. We look forward to our day in court.”

Musk — who has more than 192 million followers on X — has “tweeted negatively about Lemon repeatedly” since March 2024, Lemon’s attorneys alleged.

More to come.