More than half of Twitter's 7,500 employees were laid off as a result of the purge Elon Musk started when he took over the company, and now many of them are suing the SpaceX and Tesla billionaire in court.
A increasing number of lawsuits on the terms of those terminations are being brought against the social networking giant, and even the city of San Francisco has received a complaint alleging that Musk has unlawfully transformed office space into beds so that employees can stay on-site.
We plan to hold the world's richest man accountable because it is "extremely disturbing that he feels he can walk all over employee rights and doesn't have to observe the law," according to attorney Shannon Liss-Riordan.
One such lawsuit against Twitter is being led by Liss-Riordan; its central claim is that some employees are not receiving the severance and compensation that were promised to them before to Musk's purchase.
As the advent of the erratic Musk loomed, these guarantees, which included bonuses and stock options, were devised to keep people at Twitter and ensure an exit package.
Other instances are criticising Musk for his bold demand that employees either accept his vision for the business and adopt a "hardcore" work ethic, or take three months of their income and resign.
Attorneys claim that this was a covert layoff strategy that disregarded California law by depriving workers of the appropriate compensation and 60-day notice period.
Employees with impairments or health issues view orders to return to the workplace as discriminatory, and Musk's hatred for working from home is also being challenged.
Former senior employee at Twitter Amir Shevat said, "There was a harsh disdain for personal problems, such as important medical difficulties. All this was done while Elon Musk was assaulting us in public on Twitter."
Lisa Bloom, a well-known lawyer in Los Angeles who formerly represented disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, is the legal counsel for Shevat and other employees.
Since many Twitter employees signed away their ability to pursue their case in court when they joined the business, Bloom is managing arbitration disputes.
At a press conference on Monday, Bloom stated, "We will continue to submit these claims, one by one, and flood Twitter with claims.
To ensure that the employees receive their due compensation, she stated, "We are ready to bring hundreds, if not thousands, of individual arbitrations."
This may cost Twitter and Musk a lot of money, analysts warned.
According to Eric Goldman, a law professor at Santa Clara University, Twitter "might swiftly resolve the situation by paying the ex-employees whatever they are entitled to under the law."
Or, he continued, "it may play hardball and make them earn it, which could take years."
Musk may be forced to negotiate a settlement as a result of the mounting legal matters, especially given the financial strain his business is already experiencing as a result of his $44 billion purchase of the company.
The typically vocal businessman has kept his comments on specific legal matters to himself, focusing instead on his criticism of the city's investigation into how Twitter's conference rooms were used as makeshift beds.
Musk attacked Mayor London Breed in a tweet, writing, "So city of San Francisco fights firms providing beds for fatigued employees instead of ensuring kids are safe from fentanyl."
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