Musk, considered the world’s richest man, had argued his ‘incredibly busy’ schedule made attending the Washington, DC, case a burden.
Billionaire Elon Musk has failed to persuade a federal judge in Washington, DC, to move a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) lawsuit over the late disclosure of his growing Twitter stake to Texas after saying he was too busy to defend himself in the nation’s capital.
US District Judge Sparkle Sooknanan said on Thursday she “takes Mr. Musk’s convenience seriously” but that the world’s richest person has “considerable means” and spends at least 40 percent of his time outside Texas.
“Indeed,” she wrote, “Mr. Musk’s brief itself indicates that he has spent substantial time here this year,” referencing when he ran the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) under President Donald Trump.
Sooknanan also said Texas judges have bigger caseloads than in her court and she could proceed with “reasonable alacrity”.
In seeking to move the case, Musk said he was an “incredibly busy individual” who works 80-plus-hour weeks and often sleeps in his office or factory. He argued that litigating in Washington, DC, would impose “substantial burdens”.
