WILMINGTON, Del. — Tesla CEO Elon Musk is heading back to court for a second day, and is likely to be questioned over the financial health of SolarCity in 2016 before Tesla acquired it for $2.6 billion.
Shareholders sued Musk, alleging that Tesla’s acquisition of the solar energy installer amounted to a bailout, and a deal pushed through by Musk who was a chairman of the board at both businesses concurrently. The shareholders also allege that Musk controlled the board of Tesla, even though he appeared to recuse himself from some deal negotiations concerning SolarCity.
A typically confrontational Musk failed to answer attorneys’ questions in a single day at the Delaware Court of Chancery on Monday during his roughly six hours on the stand. The trial is expected to last two weeks.
Depending how long the Tesla CEO takes to complete his testimony on Tuesday, his brother and fellow Tesla board member Kimbal Musk may appear in court on Tuesday afternoon.
If Elon Musk loses the lawsuit, he could have to pay upwards of $2 billion. In this case, known as a shareholder derivative action, the suit is filed by investors on behalf of a corporation, rather than the individuals or funds. If the plaintiffs win, proceeds may go to Tesla and not to the stakeholders who brought the suit.
Elon Musk in court
Source: William Hennessy
Musk on Monday repeatedly denied he placed any pressure on the board to go through with the transaction. He added that SolarCity would’ve been able to raise funds on its own, and the deal didn’t amount to a bailout. Musk said the merger allowed Tesla to combine its battery business with Solar City’s solar power generation.
The court also saw a confrontational Musk this week, with tensions rising between the CEO and the plaintiffs’ attorney Randy Baron. Baron showed clips of Musk’s 2019 deposition, in which Musk repeatedly called the suit a waste of time and said Baron was a “shameful person.”
Baron, discussing Musk’s conduct, asked if he was “derisive” in his deposition for any reason and said the conduct was “not for some benefit of Tesla or some benefit to achieve something.”
“I think you are a bad human being,” Musk retorted. He said Baron was “mentored by criminals, then continued to be mentored by criminals.”
“That is why I do not respect you,” Musk said. “I have great respect for the court, but not for you, sir.”
