Don Lemon Pursues Legal Action Against Elon Musk For Fraud After Failed Talk Show Deal

Don Lemon is pursuing legal action against Elon Musk following the abrupt cancellation of his X show after just one episode. Lemon alleges that he was not properly compensated for his work on the show.

The veteran news anchor filed a lawsuit against the tech CEO on Thursday, claiming that Elon Musk failed to fulfill his payment obligations after their agreement dissolved. According to legal documents obtained by TMZ, Musk verbally agreed to compensate Don Lemon $1.5 million annually for creating videos for X as a strategy to attract advertisers amid declining numbers.

RELATED: Don Lemon Says Elon Musk Canceled His Talk Show From Premiering On X

Don Lemon also claims that he was assured a portion of the advertising revenue and additional financial incentives if his presence on X (formerly Twitter) garnered more attention. However, Lemon alleges that Elon Musk reneged on this agreement, which he believes constitutes a breach of contract and potentially violates the law.

As we previously reported, the agreement quickly unraveled following a disastrous interview between Don Lemon and Elon Musk, which marked Lemon’s inaugural project with X. During the interview, the Tesla CEO fumbled responses to inquiries about drug use and politics, leading to the breakdown of their professional relationship.

Elon Musk later asserted on X that he terminated the projects due to Don Lemon’s purportedly negative approach to journalism, describing it as “dying.”

RELATED: Don Lemon To Be Paid $24.5M To Settle Firing From CNN

However, Don Lemon contends that his position at X was already in jeopardy before the interview with Elon took place. Lemon asserts that he was coerced into announcing his partnership with X at CES, a renowned tech conference in Las Vegas. Lemon claims that he was informed that his agreement would be rescinded if he did not participate in the conference alongside X CEO Linda Yaccarino.

Don’s lawyer, Carney Shegerian released a statement saying, “X’s executives used Don to prop up their advertising sales pitch, then canceled their partnership and dragged Don’s name through the mud.”

Don Lemon is pursuing legal action against Elon Musk for fraud, negligent misrepresentation, misappropriation of name and likeness, breach of contract, and other legal claims. Lemon is seeking damages as a result of these alleged violations.

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