X subsidiary sues US media watchdog in Singapore following lawsuits in US, Ireland
Source: Straits Times
Article Date: 17 Feb 2025
Author: Selina Lum
This court action follows two other pending lawsuits that have been launched against Media Matters over the same article.
A subsidiary of X, the social media company that owns the platform formerly known as Twitter, has taken legal action in the Singapore courts against a US media monitoring website.
The defendant, Media Matters for America, is being sued for defamation and malicious falsehood over an online article the group published in 2023, which stated that anti-Semitic content had been found on the platform alongside advertisements from major brands.
The court action is brought by Singapore-registered company Twitter Asia Pacific (TAP), which is X’s representative in the Asia-Pacific region.
According to court documents obtained by The Straits Times, TAP is claiming damages of nearly US$13 million (S$17.4 million) in lost advertising revenue.
This court action follows two other pending lawsuits, one filed in the US and the other in Ireland, that have been launched against Media Matters over the same article.
X was established by billionaire Elon Musk in 2023 after his acquisition of Twitter in 2022.
Media Matters is a liberal non-profit organisation founded in 2004 that seeks to correct conservative misinformation in the US media.
In November 2023, Media Matters released a report saying that it found ads from IBM, Apple and others placed alongside content promoting Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party.
After several brands decided to pause advertising on the platform, Mr Musk vowed a “thermonuclear lawsuit” against Media Matters and “all those who colluded in the fraudulent attack on our company”.
That month, X filed a lawsuit against Media Matters in a Texas district court.
This was followed by a lawsuit filed in December that year by X’s Irish subsidiary, an entity named Twitter International Unlimited, in the Irish High Court.
The Singapore claim was filed in the High Court in July 2024.
The suit alleges that the Media Matters article led to a significant number of companies withdrawing advertisements placed on the X platform, causing TAP to sustain significant losses.
TAP was granted permission by the court to serve a copy of the claim documents on the defendant in the US.
In August 2024, the documents were delivered by hand to Media Matters’ business address in US capital Washington, DC.
Media Matters responded with a court filing in October 2024, saying that it was challenging the jurisdiction of the Singapore court over the case.
It also contended that the action in Singapore should be stayed, given the multiplicity of court proceedings in Singapore, the US and Ireland.
TAP stated in a court filing later that month that there were no other court proceedings between it and Media Matters.
TAP contended that the other proceedings filed by X in the US and Twitter International Unlimited in Ireland were brought to recover loss and damages specifically suffered separately by these entities.
Media Matters then filed an application seeking to strike out the Singapore claim on the grounds that the court does not have jurisdiction to hear the case.
Alternatively, it is seeking a stay of the Singapore action.
The matter is still pending.
TAP is represented by Mr Andy Leck from Wong & Leow, while Media Matters is represented by Senior Counsel Cavinder Bull from Drew & Napier.
According to media reports, the US lawsuit has been scheduled for a trial in April 2025.
Source: The Straits Times © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction.
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