The U.S. Justice Department has filed an application to intervene before the EU's General Court in support of separate challenges by Elon Musk and X seeking to annul a 120 million European Union fine imposed on December 5, 2025. The fine was imposed jointly and severally on X and Musk, and was the first non-compliance decision issued under the Digital Services Act, following findings of violations involving X's blue-check verification system, advertising repository and researcher access to public data. Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate said the European Commission inappropriately attempted to expand its regulatory authority to reach American companies not present or operating within its jurisdiction. The DOJ's argument goes beyond the size of the fine, raising concerns about how the Commission determined who qualifies as a digital-service provider and whether the EU's approach improperly pierced the corporate structure around Musk and unrelated U.S. entities. The filing does not overturn the fine, but it turns a company-versus-regulator dispute into a broader transatlantic legal fight over digital regulation, with the DOJ warning that upholding the Commission's approach could have implications for other U.S.-based digital platforms operating in Europe.
Tesla Inc
