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Musk’s OpenAI Litigator Jaymie Parkkinen Balances Courtroom Work With Professional Clowning

Media attention has turned to his atypical background during the case’s combative discovery phase.

Overview

  • Jaymie Parkkinen of Toberoff & Associates has become a visible figure for Elon Musk in discovery fights in the lawsuit against Sam Altman and OpenAI.
  • In a June 2025 letter to the judge, Parkkinen said searches of Musk’s devices were complicated because the CEO does not use a computer.
  • He has pursued subpoenas for former OpenAI leaders, including Mira Murati, as Musk’s team seeks testimony and documents.
  • Outside the courtroom, Parkkinen runs a Los Angeles fitness venture called Clown Cardio and describes his clowning as high‑concept physical comedy.
  • The case stems from OpenAI’s shift to a for‑profit structure and is slated for a March 2026 trial, with Altman represented by firms including Morrison & Foerster and Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz.