The top U.S. securities regulator on Tuesday urged a federal judge not to let Elon Musk escape an agreement requiring that his Twitter use be monitored, which the Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) chief executive considers part of a campaign of harassment.
In a filing in the federal court in Manhattan, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said Musk had not met his “high burden” to set aside a 2018 consent decree requiring that Tesla lawyers approve tweets and other public statements that could be material to his electric car company.
“When it comes to civil settlements, a deal is a deal, absent far more compelling circumstances than are here presented,” the SEC said.
The regulatory agency also urged U.S. District Judge Alison Nathan, who oversees the decree, to reject Musk’s bid to quash a subpoena requesting records concerning his Twitter poll last November over whether to sell 10% of his Tesla stock.
Earlier on Tuesday, Musk danced and joked with fans as he oversaw the opening of Tesla’s first European factory, located near Berlin, with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in attendance.