Twitter hires Seattle law firm that Elon Musk previously boycotted and criticized for 'thriving on corruption'
Andrew Kelly/Reuters
- Twitter is using a law firm that Elon Musk has previously condemned.
- Musk said nobody should use Perkins Coie and that the firm "thrives on corruption."
- Perkins Coie is representing Twitter in a lawsuit filed by a far-right activist, per court filings.
A law firm that Elon Musk has criticized several times is representing Twitter in a lawsuit, according to court documents filed on Wednesday that have been seen by Insider.
Reuters first reported the news on Thursday.
The Notice of Appearance showed that Perkins Coie, a law firm based in Seattle, is planning to defend Twitter and cofounder Jack Dorsey in a lawsuit filed by the far-right activist Laura Loomer ,who was locked out of her account in 2018 over "hateful" content, according to the complaint lodged in May.
Perkins Coie has replaced Jenner & Block, which withdrew from the case, per a court filing on December 27.
Musk tweeted in early December that Twitter wasn't using Perkins Coie, adding that "no company should use them until they make amends for Sussmann's attempt to corrupt a Presidential election."
Musk was referring to Michael Sussmann, a former Perkins Coie lawyer who was accused of lying to the FBI during a meeting about former President Donald Trump's links to Russia before the 2016 presidential election. Sussmann was later found not guilty.
In a tweet in May about Tesla recruiting for its legal team, Musk said he was not looking for Perkins Coie's "white-shoe lawyers" who "thrive on corruption."
Reuters reported that Perkins Coie was working with Twitter on at least six other cases before Musk took control of the company in late October.
Twitter, Perkins Coie, and Jenner & Block didn't immediately respond to requests for comment from Insider.