Twitter deposes Musk, known for ornery testimony

STORY: Billionaire Elon Musk is sitting for a deposition Monday, facing questions from Twitter's lawyers.

And it could get ugly.

The Tesla CEO has a track record of dishing out insults under oath.

Testifying in past legal battles, the world's richest person has called opposing attorneys "reprehensible," questioned their happiness and accused them of "extortion."

The deposition is the latest development in the saga over Musk's abrupt decision in July to ditch his $44 billion deal to acquire Twitter.

Twitter is suing Musk, in an effort to force him to go through with the purchase.

Musk's lawyers will want to keep him focused on answering questions, but that can be a challenge.

One corporate litigator, not involved in the case, told Reuters it’s like (quote) “trying to hold a tiger by his tail."

Twitter's attorneys are expected to use the interview to try to show that Musk abandoned the deal due to falling financial markets... and not because the company misled him about the real number of users or hid security flaws, as he alleged.

Musk wants a judge to allow him to walk away without penalty, while Twitter wants an order forcing him to buy the company for $54.20 a share.

Dozens of depositions are scheduled in the case, including of Twitter's co-founder Jack Dorsey.

The high-stakes Musk interview is closed to the public and scheduled to run from Monday until Wednesday, if needed.