Elon Musk is currently engaged in settlement negotiations with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) regarding a lawsuit filed by the regulator last year. The SEC alleges that the world's wealthiest individual violated securities laws prior to his acquisition of Twitter.
In court documents submitted on Tuesday, the SEC disclosed that it is in discussions with Musk "concerning a potential resolution, a move that could avert further litigation proceedings."
The SEC initially filed the lawsuit in January 2025, and the case is currently being heard in a federal court in Washington D.C. Concurrently, a separate class-action lawsuit brought against Musk by former Twitter investors is progressing in a federal court in San Francisco, where jury deliberations are anticipated to commence shortly.
As the Chief Executive Officer of Tesla Motors and SpaceX, Musk acquired Twitter for $44 billion in late 2022 and subsequently renamed it X the following year. Prior to the acquisition, his stake in Twitter had exceeded 5%, which, according to regulations, required public disclosure of the holding within 10 calendar days of reaching that threshold. However, Musk failed to file the necessary disclosure documents in a timely manner.
The SEC's complaint states that by not disclosing his stake, Musk was able to purchase shares "at artificially depressed prices," thereby disadvantaging other investors.
Musk has previously reached a settlement with the SEC concerning a civil securities fraud case related to Tesla Motors. Under the terms of that agreement, both Musk and his automotive company were required to pay fines of $20 million each, and Musk also had to temporarily step down from his role as Chairman of the Tesla Motors board.
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