OAKLAND, Calif., May 18, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — DRC congratulates its clients Sarah Eddy, William Savitt, and the entire trial team at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz and Morrison Foerster for their successful defense on behalf of Sam Altman, Greg Brockman, the OpenAI Foundation, and OpenAI Group PBC in Musk, et al. v. Altman, et al., Case No. 4:24-cv-04722 (N.D. Cal.). Following a three-week trial, the jury deliberated for less than two hours before reaching a unanimous verdict in favor of OpenAI.
Elon Musk brought claims against OpenAI and two of its founders, Sam Altman and Greg Brockman, for breach of charitable trust and unjust enrichment. Musk alleged that Altman and Brockman broke promises to him about the non-profit structure of OpenAI. The Defense showed that no such promises were made, that Musk himself wanted to turn OpenAI into a for-profit, that OpenAI remains a non-profit, and that Musk’s claims were barred by the statute of limitations. Musk also brought a claim for aiding and abetting a breach of charitable trust against Microsoft.
After three weeks of trial, the jury deliberated for about ninety minutes before finding that both OpenAI and Microsoft had proven their statute of limitations defense for all claims. Because the Defense prevailed on the statute of limitations, which was the very first question on the verdict form, the jury did not need to consider the merits of Musk’s claims. Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers adopted the jury’s findings and promptly dismissed all of Musk’s claims from the bench.
DRC congratulates Defense counsel Sarah Eddy, William Savitt, Bradley Wilson, Nathaniel Cullerton, Randall Jackson, Steven Winter, Kelsey Borenzweig, and Zachary David of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, and William Frentzen, Jordan Eth, David Wiener, and Camila Tapernoux of Morrison Foerster. DRC assisted the trial team with jury research, jury selection, trial graphics, at-trial technology support, and trial strategy consulting.
About DRC
DRC has distinguished itself as one of the finest trial strategy and data analysis firms in the nation, specializing in jury selection, demonstrative aids, focus groups, and more. For nearly thirty years, the most prestigious law firms and well-known litigators have trusted DRC to provide the strategic advantage they need to win. By drawing on our vast experience in social psychology, our innovative information design processes, our proven techniques in the area of jury and judge persuasion, and our acclaimed research methodologies, DRC has developed a highly effective and multi-faceted approach to trial consulting that ensures the de-selection of potentially harmful jurors, maximizes the use of technology to facilitate the efficient management and powerful presentation of trial exhibits, employs persuasive demonstrative aids, and utilizes convincing oral arguments. Learn more at drclegal.com.
Contact: Gretchen Koehler, Chief Strategy Officer Gkoehler@dubinconsulting.com | 212.219.1469
