"In an eight-page order released on Tuesday, US District Judge Theodore Chuang rejected a request from Musk and officials linked to the Department of Government Efficiency to forgo a deposition. It ordered him, along with former acting USAID director Peter Marocco and Department of State official Jeremy Lewin, to be deposed. Musk's legal team had tried to use the "apex doctrine" to avoid the deposition, a rule that allows high-ranking government officials to avoid depositions in some situations."
"Chuang said that it was unclear whether Musk, Marocco, and Lewin were "properly deemed to be high-ranking government officials." He said most of the designated heads of the project were operating in informal or acting roles during the time when USAID was dismantled. In the filing, Chuang added that Musk and the other officials failed to provide evidence as to why they chose to shut down the USAID headquarters and website, another reason the deposition was necessary."
US District Judge Theodore Chuang ordered Elon Musk, former acting USAID director Peter Marocco, and State Department official Jeremy Lewin to be deposed as part of a lawsuit by current and former USAID employees. The judge rejected attempts to invoke the apex doctrine to avoid depositions, noting uncertainty whether the individuals were properly high-ranking officials. Chuang found many designated project heads served in informal or acting capacities while USAID was dismantled. The filing said Musk and other officials did not provide justification for shutting down USAID headquarters and its website. The case names additional defendants including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and DOGE administrator Amy Gleason. USAID had been a primary target of Musk-led DOGE amid efforts to cut government spending.
Read at Business Insider
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]