Umamah Bakharia

Billionaire Elon Musk has filed a 164- pager countersuit against Twitter in an ongoing legal battle between the two that escalated after Musk backed out of the $44 billion buyout of the social media company.

Musk questions Twitter’s validity and security measures in his countersuit. For months, he has argued publicly that Twitter had more “bots” or spam accounts than it admitted. Last month, he used this as the basis for backing out of the acquisition.

In his countersuit, Musk says the social media company’s lawsuit against him is “filled with personal attacks against Musk and gaudy rhetoric more directed at a media audience than this court” and “is nothing more than an attempt to distract from these misrepresentations.”

Last month, Twitter appeared to win its first battle against Musk when Chancery Court judge Kathaleen St. Jude McCormick agreed to an expedited five-day trial.

Musk is set to face court on 17 October in Delaware after Twitter says it will force the Tesla boss to buy the company at a total price.