The judge in charge of the dispute between Twitter and Elon Musk said on Wednesday that the trial is still scheduled for October 17, the date that the social network and the owner of Tesla received to postpone the proceedings, according to AFP.

Elon Musk took to Twitter on Monday to offer to buy the company, as originally planned, for $44 billion, provided the company’s board halts the process.

But at this stage, “the parties have not requested a stay of proceedings,” Judge Kathleen McCormick said in a letter to lawyers on Wednesday. “That’s why I continue to prepare for the trial,” she added.

In early July, Twitter filed a lawsuit against Elon Musk to force him to follow through on a commitment he made two months earlier.

The multi-billionaire just announced that he is ending it, saying Twitter lied to him about certain issues, including the proportion of fake accounts on the platform, which the company denies.

Tomorrow, Elon Musk is to be interrogated in closed session by the lawyers of the social network.

They are seeking sanctions against the entrepreneur, who is accused of failing to provide all required information, including messages sent through the Signal app, which is known for its respect for privacy.

“I am forced to conclude that it is likely” that the people responsible for saving the messages related to this case “allowed the messages to be automatically deleted from Signal (…) and therefore they were irretrievably lost,” the judge said. .

She demanded that Tesla’s lawyers supply some of the missing exchangers, but reserved her decision on possible sanctions.

In the spring, Elon Musk offered to buy the platform for $54.20 per share, valuing it at $44 billion. The board, very reluctant at first, eventually agreed.

Until Tuesday, all indications were that Twitter was on its way to a court victory against Musk. (photo: Dreamstime)