Victory for Elon Musk. A US court has dismissed a lawsuit brought by ex-Twitter employees who accused the billionaire of illegally denying about 500 million dollars in severance pay.

Judge Trina Thompson ruled that the fired workers had not proven their claims were covered by federal law.

The decision is a victory for Musk, who bought Twitter in 2022 and immediately began sweeping changes, including laying off thousands of employees.

The moves brought multiple lawsuits from former employees who accused the company of withholding promised payments.

The complaint was filed in 2023 in federal court in San Francisco by Courtney McMillan, a former Twitter executive whom the tycoon renamed X.

In the complaint, it is stated that the company had provided the staff with only one month’s salary as compensation instead of the much more generous benefits that Twitter had promised.

Musk’s team had urged the judge to dismiss the complaint, saying the Retiree Income Security Act did not apply in this case.

The law sets standards for private health and retirement plans.

“We are disappointedof the decision and are considering our options moving forward,” said a spokesman for Ms McMillian’s team.