theverge's coverage of anything not directly related to gadget reviews is always incredibly biased, sensationalist and usually wrong.

"always", "sensationalist", "usually wrong" you sound as biased as them mate.

How would you put this if it was a fact and not "biased"?

It could be a case where the lawyers were eager to bill hours while Elon Musk itself haven't spent his time on the topic. The experience says that for complex cases you cannot just throw some idea to lawyers but engage yourself in the process, which is very time consuming.