Three top Twitter executives who were fired by Elon Musk when he took over the business last year filed a lawsuit on Monday, seeking reimbursement for the costs of litigation, investigations, and congressional inquiries connected to their former positions.
In the action, ex-CEO Parag Agrawal and the company’s former senior legal and finance officers argue that they are owed more than $1 million and that Twitter is legally obligated to pay them.
As is customary, Twitter responded to an AFP request for comment with a faeces emoji. The court filing outlined numerous expenses related to inquiries by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Department of Justice (DOJ), but does not include details on the nature of the investigations or whether they are still ongoing.
According to court records, Agrawal and then-chief financial officer Ned Segal testified to the SEC last year and “have continued to engage with federal authorities.”
The SEC is looking into whether Musk followed securities laws when he purchased Twitter shares.
Following Musk’s publication of so-called “Twitter Files” linked to the site’s content moderation late last year, former Twitter chief legal officer Vijaya Gadde was summoned to testify before a US Senate panel on big tech and free speech.
The three former executives claim Twitter is obligated to reimburse them but has done nothing more than acknowledge receipt of their invoices.