Twitter wins first legal battle with Elon Musk as trial to go ahead in October

Judge in Delaware denies Tesla chief's bid to delay trial, as Twitter seeks verdict that will force Musk to complete $44bn takeover

Twitter has won the first legal skirmish in its attempt to force Elon Musk to complete a $44bn (36.7bn) takeover of the social media company, after a judge ruled that a trial will take place in October.

Legal experts said the ruling in Delaware was good news for Twitter, which had asked for a fast-track process to settle the dispute. A Delaware judge said there was a cloud of uncertainty" hanging over Twitter and accepted the company's argument that a delay would cause severe damage to the business.