The lawsuit accuses Elon Musk and X of fraud, breach of contract and misappropriation of Don Lemon’s name|Neon Tommy|CC BY-SA 2.0

Former CNN anchor Don Lemon filed a lawsuit against Elon Musk and X on Thursday for alleged breach of a $1.5 million a year talk show contract that Musk abruptly ended this year.

The move comes after a contentious interview with Lemon in March, where he asked the billionaire about the rise of hate speech on X and his use of the drug ketamine.

The complaint filed in San Francisco County Superior Court accuses Musk and X of fraud, breach of contract and misappropriation of Lemon’s name. It also suggests Musk used the partnership to boost X’s troubled image.

Lemon accuses the microblogging app and its owner of making false promises to secure his investment of hundreds of thousands of dollars before withdrawing.

X hasn’t commented yet but previously defended the cancellation, citing their right to review business partnerships.