United States District Judge Charles Breyer tossed a lawsuit submitted by X, the social media company owned by Elon Musk, against leftist nonprofit Center for Countering Digital Hate.

Attorneys representing X, formerly known as Twitter, said in the lawsuit that the Center for Countering Digital Hate has “embarked on a scare campaign to drive away advertisers” from the platform, while X added in an article that the entity allegedly gained access to platform data without authorization from the firm, an action which would violate terms of service. Breyer nevertheless ruled on Monday that X was “punishing the defendants for their speech.”

X said in a brief statement that the firm “disagrees with the court’s decision and plans to appeal.” Center for Countering Digital Hate chief executive Imran Ahmed meanwhile celebrated the decision and accused Musk of a “campaign of harassment, abuse, and lawfare.”

“The courts today have affirmed our fundamental right to research, to speak, to advocate, and to hold accountable social media companies for decisions they make behind closed doors that affect our kids, our democracy, and our fundamental human rights and civil liberties,” Ahmed commented. “We hope this landmark ruling will embolden public-interest researchers everywhere to continue, and even intensify, their vital work of holding social media companies accountable for the hate and disinformation they host and the harm they cause.”

Extensive reports authored by the Center for Countering Digital Hate claimed that X has failed to act on the vast majority of purported “hate speech” posted by X subscribers. The nonprofit partnered with several other leftist organizations, including Media Matters for America, shortly after Musk acquired Twitter, allegedly in order to convince advertisers that he was permitting users to post “abusive, harassing, and racist language and imagery.”

Musk has revealed that Twitter experienced a “massive drop in revenue” as the pressure from “activist groups” dissuaded advertisers from working with the company. “Extremely messed up,” the entrepreneur commented. “They’re trying to destroy free speech in America.”