Australian firm sues Twitter for $901k for not paying bills

The Australian firm’s lawsuit is the latest alleging non-payment of bills and rent against Twitter. PHOTO: AFP

SYDNEY - An Australian project management firm has filed a lawsuit against Twitter in a US court, seeking cumulative payments of about A$1 million ($901,000) over alleged non-payment of bills for work done in four countries, court filings showed.

Sydney-based private company Facilitate Corp filed the suit on June 29 in the United States District Court for the Northern District Of California, claiming breach of contract over Twitter’s failure to pay its invoices.

The Australian firm’s lawsuit is the latest alleging non-payment of bills and rent against Twitter since Mr Elon Musk bought the social media platform for US$44 billion (S$59.5 billion) in 2022.

Facilitate said that from 2022 through early 2023, it installed sensors in Twitter’s offices in London and Dublin, completed an office fit-out in Singapore, and cleared an office in Sydney.

For those works, Twitter owed the company about £203,000 (S$348,000), S$546,600 and A$61,300, respectively, Facilitate said.

Twitter, also known as X Corp, no longer has a media relations office. Reuters could not immediately reach Twitter’s Australia office.

Facilitate said it was seeking compensatory damages in an amount to be determined at trial, legal costs and interest at the maximum legal rate.

In May, a former public relations firm filed a suit in a New York court saying Twitter had not paid its bills, while early in 2023, US-based advisory firm Innisfree M&A sued it, seeking about US$1.9 million for what it said were unpaid bills after it advised Twitter on its acquisition by Musk.

Britain’s Crown Estate, an independent commercial business that manages the property portfolio belonging to the monarchy, in January began court proceedings over alleged unpaid rent on Twitter’s London headquarters. REUTERS

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