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The judge overseeing X’s lawsuit against the advertiser recused himself after news reports revealed that he previously held shares in X. Tesla.
In an August 13 recusal notice, U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor in Texas withdrew from a lawsuit filed by X last week against the World Federation of Advertisers. The judge did not say why he withdrew from the proceedings.
X, formerly known as Twitter, is owned by Muskhe is also the CEO and largest shareholder of Tesla. on Monday, Reported by National Public Radio O’Connor held Tesla stock in 2022, the date of his last disclosure, which constituted a potential conflict of interest.
A call seeking comment from the court clerk was not immediately returned.
In X’s lawsuit, the company alleged that some advertisers engaged in antitrust conduct when they stopped running advertising campaigns on the site. Companies named include Europe’s Unilever, Mars, CVS Healthcare and Orsted.
WFA said in response to the lawsuit pause Operations of its Global Alliance for Responsible Media nonprofit program.
O’Connor is a former aide to Texas Republican U.S. Sen. John Cornyn and a former federal prosecutor in North Texas.
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