Sunday, July 19, 2026

Jury dismisses Elon Musk’s $150 billion lawsuit against OpenAI, Sam Altman

Mr Musk’s legal team said the tech billionaire would appeal the court’s verdict.

• May 19, 2026
Musk, Altman

A federal jury on Monday unanimously rejected Elon Musk’s lawsuit accusing OpenAI of violating its charter as a charitable organization.

Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, the presiding judge, dismissed Mr Musk’s lawsuit after a nine-member jury in U.S. District Court in Oakland, California, concluded that the suit was not filed within the legally required time frame.

In 2024, the tech billionaire had accused OpenAI and its chiefs, Altman and Greg Brockman of “breach of charitable trust.” Mr Musk also accused OpenAI investor, Microsoft, of “aiding and abetting” its breach of charitable trust.

Mr Musk’s legal team said the tech billionaire would appeal the court’s verdict.

In a post on X, Mr Musk doubled down on his allegations against Messrs Altman and Brockman, vowing he “will be filing an appeal with the Ninth Circuit, because creating a precedent to loot charities is incredibly destructive to charitable giving in America”.

“Regarding the OpenAI case, the judge & jury never actually ruled on the merits of the case, just on a calendar technicality,” Mr Musk said. “There is no question to anyone following the case in detail that Altman & Brockman did in fact enrich themselves by stealing a charity. The only question is WHEN they did it!”

We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.

More from Peoples Gazette

farmers

Agriculture

FG tasks ECOWAS on leveraging financing strategies for agroecology

The federal government has urged stakeholders in the agriculture and finance sectors in the West Africa region to leverage financing strategies to enhance agroecology practices

Katsina State

Politics

Katsina youths pledge to deliver over 2 million votes to Atiku

“Katsina State is Atiku’s political base because it is his second home.”

Flood

NationWide

Flood Alert: NEMA urges residents in flood-prone areas to evacuate as rains intensify

Mrs Umar advised motorists and pedestrians against driving or walking through floodwaters.

Vice-President Kashim Shettima

NationWide

Shettima departs Abuja for ECOWAS summit in Freetown

The summit will focus on key policy decisions and strategic resolutions.

National Broadcasting Commission

NationWide

NBC unveils new digital broadcasting rules  

Mr Ebuebu said the commission had observed declining ethical standards in broadcasting.

Heading 3

POWA reaffirms commitment to members’ welfare

According to Mrs Disu, the invaluable role of police officers’ wives cannot be overemphasised.

Nigeria Premier Football League logo

States

N2 billion NPFL prize won’t fix Nigerian football, says Gara-Gombe

He lamented that Nigeria had only a few stadiums capable of meeting international standards.

Pregnant teenagers

Heading 1

Kwara reaffirms commitment to reducing teenage pregnancy

According to Ms El-Imam, Kwara has recorded significant progress in maternal health and family planning.