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Tesla Is Seeking $167 Million From Former Employee Accused of Sabotage (cnbc.com)
An anonymous reader quotes a report from CNBC: Tesla is seeking more than $167 million in a lawsuit against former employee Martin Tripp, recent legal filings revealed. In the lawsuit, which was filed by the electric car maker in June, Tesla alleges that Tripp, a former process engineer, had illegally exported data and made false claims to reporters, among other things. Tripp had earlier claimed in a number of press interviews that Tesla engaged in poor manufacturing practices at its massive battery plant outside of Reno, Nevada, and that it may have used damaged battery modules in its Model 3 vehicles, posing a risk to drivers.
An interim case management report published on Nov. 27 reveals that Tripp's attorneys aim to depose Tesla CEO Elon Musk and more than 10 people involved with the company. Tesla has refused to make Musk available and sought to limit the number of people deposed by Tripp's defense team at the law firm Tiffany & Bosco. Tripp's lawyers wrote in that report: "Tesla has objected to Mr. Tripp's desire to take more than ten depositions... In this case, where Mr. Tripp is being sued for more than $167,000,000 and has asserted counterclaims against Tesla, more than ten depositions is certainly reasonable and appropriate." Tripp attorney Robert D. Mitchell said in an email to CNBC: "The purported damage amount claimed by Tesla relates to supposed dips in Tesla's stock price by virtue of the information Mr. Tripp provided to the press last summer." He characterized the damage claims as "absurd."
An interim case management report published on Nov. 27 reveals that Tripp's attorneys aim to depose Tesla CEO Elon Musk and more than 10 people involved with the company. Tesla has refused to make Musk available and sought to limit the number of people deposed by Tripp's defense team at the law firm Tiffany & Bosco. Tripp's lawyers wrote in that report: "Tesla has objected to Mr. Tripp's desire to take more than ten depositions... In this case, where Mr. Tripp is being sued for more than $167,000,000 and has asserted counterclaims against Tesla, more than ten depositions is certainly reasonable and appropriate." Tripp attorney Robert D. Mitchell said in an email to CNBC: "The purported damage amount claimed by Tesla relates to supposed dips in Tesla's stock price by virtue of the information Mr. Tripp provided to the press last summer." He characterized the damage claims as "absurd."
What's to prevent Elon being sued for the amount he caused the stock to drop with his brain farts about "funding secured" that triggered the SEC going after him?
Pain is merely failure leaving the body
From the article:
Meissner was warned repeatedly that his client was A) out of control, and B) a pathological liar. He appears to have come to the same conclusion.
His client has also apparently fled to Hungary, so then there's that.
Seen on a Japanese food processor: "Not to be used for the other use."
The problem with the claim, is Musk.
A long history of making conspiracy attacks against enemies (New York Times, Top Gear, that cave rescuer he called a pedo, lots of lies about Tesla going private and an SEC settlement), and they don't want Musk deposed which is hardly a good sign.
Plus Tripps comments were all but confirmed by Tesla itself, I recall he complained the battery cases were often left touching as glue was omitted, and their response that the batteries are likely at similar voltages and so its not a big deal, or similar.
The problem with their "civil suit" for what would be an espionage crime, and thus a criminal act, is it reeks of Musk.
Not sure how allegedly stealing data and talking to the press is sabotage???
sabotage /sabtäZH/
verb
verb: sabotage; 3rd person present: sabotages; past tense: sabotaged; past participle: sabotaged; gerund or present participle: sabotaging
1.
deliberately destroy, damage, or obstruct (something), especially for political or military advantage.
synonyms: vandalize, wreck, damage, destroy, cripple, impair, incapacitate
Outside the oil industry? They are partially owned by the Saudi's! Good grief.
So what you are saying is that the promised $35k Model 3 is vapour, and that Tesla can't yet manufacture it for $35k let alone sell it for that much including tax, and that they are still looking at shaving many thousands off the cost before they can even think about it.
The Model 3 is a nice car, but it's not cheap and people wanting the $35k version will be waiting a long time, maybe forever if they cancel it. I think cancellation is more likely, because by the time they do release it there will be several other cheaper cars with better range and features than the $35k Model 3. You can order a Kona today and I guarantee it will arrive before your $35k Model 3.
const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
Then, WHY? Some mid-level engineer would be bankrupted for $100k or severely hurt in Small Claims court. Heck, just defending the claim will likely be enough to bankrupt the guy in legal bills alone. We all get it, this guy cost them a pile of dough. What's a lawsuit going to get Tesla? If they get a $1M judgment, what's the point? All you are likely to collect is the cash in his bank accounts which is what? $10K? if that.
I say this is just beating a dead horse for PR value. Shame on Tesla.
"File to fit, pound to insert, paint to match" - Aircraft Maintenance 101
[end of line]
The model 3 is universally regarded a shit car.
Sandy Munro has had a change of opinion since tearing down another Model 3
Pain is merely failure leaving the body
After reading this, I now have the Beastie Boys song running through my head.
doesn't make you right. Funny, innit, how just because you haven't denied running a child porn ring doesn't mean you're not guilty, and any wild ass claim can, until it is proven wrong, can be supported by the same BS codswallop.
Seriously? Have you been living under a rock?
Here, let me spoon-feed you.
In terms of revenue, the Tesla Model 3 was the best selling car in the USA in September, by a wide margin. It pulled in nearly twice as much money as the second-best car, the Toyota Camry.
Tesla Model 3 Is Best Selling Car In USA In Terms Of Revenue
It was the fourth best selling car in the USA during the month in terms of numbers. Take a look at the graphs in the article. Tesla is producing (and selling) the Model 3 in quantities similar to Accord, Camry, etc. But they charge 2-3 times as much for every one they sell.
I'm a leaf on the wind. Watch how I soar.
Tesla shorts are getting more and more desperate.
Don't be a dunderhead. Small Claims has a $10k limit. It doesn't actually matter how much you write down in the suit; if you win you'll normally be awarded the amount that the court determined you proved you lost, which is supposed to match your filing.
If you file in small claims that you were harmed for $10k, and your evidence says you were harmed for millions of dollars, you might just get in trouble, not get the $10k. You'd have to be arguing that you can only prove $10k of the losses.
You're supposed to file in the correct venue. And, it may be that during discovery they find out that other people were involved. Those people might have deeper pockets. Or maybe in 10 years the guy founds a successful company. There are lots of situations that could happen that would result in the ability to collect, even if it didn't appear that you could collect very much at the beginning.
But even just, if the guy finds another job as an engineer, he'd be making good money; you could garnish him for more than $10k every year! You might even be able to sell the debt to somebody who specializes in that.
Only working class poor people, or people willing to retire early and never earn anything, can avoid paying forever. Oh yeah, people who die soon enough after the judgment can also avoid it.
If you get a civil judgment you cannot pay, your choices are to either make payments or go bankrupt which cancels out any civil judgments. What would YOU choose?
I was sued once by a former employer and my lawyer explained to me what they could force me to give them if they won the judgment. They couldn't take my house, my car my retirement, but only things I owned beyond that. Given I didn't have a 2nd car, house, any cash or other fungible assets I asked him what they could collect? He said "Nothing." to which he added "Then what did you do to piss them off this bad because this has to be about revenge, not recovery?"
They didn't prevail, quite the opposite, but the plan was to just declare bankruptcy and leave them with their legal bills and worthless civil judgment. You cannot squeeze blood from a stone or money out of a bankrupt individual who doesn't have any. As it turned out, I walked away with my legal fees paid and a new respect for the legal process and how it can be abused, but my former employer was an idiot with a huge chip on his shoulder and I had him on tape saying some stupid things to a prospective future employer. It was so bad I could have sued him, probably should have, but I was so done with the whole thing...
But you CAN avoid paying, it's called bankruptcy. In fact, I could have stopped the lawsuit in it's tracks by filing for bankruptcy.
So all this guy needs to do is file bankruptcy, survive 10 years w/o credit to speak of and get back to work creating a positive credit history. If Tesla is counting on discovery, just the filing of the bankruptcy kills this whole thing in it's tracks, no discovery, no lawsuit, nothing.
This is just Tesla slapping the guy around in the press... Not much else...Unless he actually HAS that kind of cash, or at least enough laying around to make it worth the legal bills...
"File to fit, pound to insert, paint to match" - Aircraft Maintenance 101
What's your excuse going to be in three years when Tesla starts selling a pickup truck, and it outsells the F-series?
I'm a leaf on the wind. Watch how I soar.
All it means is he settled. No guild or innocence has been tried, nor even attempted to be tried.
People who believe they're innocent and can afford top notch legal representation do NOT settle
Pain is merely failure leaving the body
No he hasn’t. He said the electrons were ok the rest of the car was complete shit.
On a followup interview on Autoline, he said he could see the car getting up to 30% profit margin in quantity and that he would be eating a lot of crow
Pain is merely failure leaving the body