ELON Musk’s social media platform Twitter/X has been ordered to pay legal costs in an Irish court case brought by George Galloway.
The former MP took legal action in Dublin, where X/Twitter’s European headquarters are based, over alleged defamation. The social media platform had labelled his account “Russian state-affiliated media”.
The labelling was first applied to the controversial politician's profile in 2022, prior to Musk’s acquisition of the platform later that year. The labelling system was later scrapped in April 2023.
However, Galloway claims the label was defamatory and damaging to his reputation, and has denied any affiliation with the Russian state.
On October 21, the social media platform was given a six-week deadline to file. It has done so, but has also been ordered to pay Galloway's legal costs "with a stay on execution pending the determination of the proceedings".
The High Court in Dublin ordered Twitter/X to pay the legal costs of Galloway’s motion and directed both sides to submit sworn affidavits attesting to the truth of their claims by January 30, 2025.
KRW Law Advocates Ltd, which is representing Galloway, said that the “affidavit deadline represents a significant milestone in the proceedings, requiring both sides to formally substantiate their respective claims”.
KRW partner Kevin Winters confirmed the High Court had ordered Twitter/X to pay Galloway’s legal fees.
He further said that the case “underscores the broader challenge for social media platforms in navigating accountability for their past actions, particularly in the context of evolving policies and leadership changes”.
