Twitter in settlement talks with deplatformed journalist Alex Berenson to end COVID censorship suit

Parties agreed to "modest extension of the discovery deadlines" to focus on resolving the dispute over former New York Times reporter's removal for COVID tweet now considered mainstream. They had two mediation sessions in late May.

By Greg Piper

Published: June 5, 2022 5:42pm

Updated: June 5, 2022 6:15pm

Former New York Times reporter Alex Berenson and Twitter are in active settlement talks to resolve his censorship lawsuit against the company, which deplatformed him following a tweet that said COVID-19 vaccines don't stop infection or transmission, a view that has long been confirmed by global data and reiterated by Bill Gates this year.

In a joint filing Thursday, the parties asked the U.S. District Court in San Francisco for a "modest extension of the discovery deadlines" in the case so they can "focus their efforts on resolution," a request granted Friday. They had mediation sessions May 27 and 31, the filing says.

A previous order required Berenson to produce certain documents by Monday, which has now been pushed off until June 16, and other deadlines were also moved back 10 days.

Berenson v Twitter motion for extension.pdf

The case recently swung in Berenson's favor when U.S. District Judge William Alsup greenlit his breach-of-contract claim against Twitter, saying he plausibly alleged the company "fail[ed] to abide by its own five-strike policy and its specific commitments" made by a PR executive directly to Berenson before his first strike.

Berenson shared the new filing with subscribers to his newsletter Thursday, saying he would let it "speak for itself."