"Judge Dismisses Elon Musk's Defamation Case Against Hate Speech Watchdog in Scathing Rebuke"

A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit by Elon Musk's X against the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), criticizing the case as punitive and aimed at punishing the defendants for their speech. The lawsuit accused CCDH of violating X's terms of service by studying and reporting on hate speech on the platform. The judge's ruling highlighted the limits of Musk's claim to be a "free-speech absolutist" and expressed concerns about X litigating in bad faith. CCDH celebrated the dismissal as a victory for independent research and holding social media companies accountable, while X stated its disagreement with the decision and plans to appeal.