The world's second-richest man settles a defamation suit for a pittance of $10,000.
The world's second-richest person has settled a defamation action for $10,000. Elon Musk has agreed to settle a three-year-old defamation lawsuit filed against him by a vocal Tesla critic.
According to various sources and a tweet sent by the plaintiff on Monday, the millionaire would pay Randeep Hoti $10,000, effectively concluding the legal proceedings.
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In a tweet thread aimed at enticing lawyers to Tesla's "hardcore litigation department," Musk stated that the company will "never surrender/settle against us, even if we lose, even if we lose."
Nonetheless, Elon Musk made a concession. According to a press release from the plaintiffs' legal team, the billionaire decided to settle the defamation proceedings out of court in March.
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$10,000 is tiny change for Musk, especially when it represents approximately 0.0000057% of his total worth and less than one-seventh of a year's salary for the majority of American households. But, according to Hothi, the win appears to be about the principle of the thing rather than actual reality. In multiple public statements, he has hailed the accord as a huge success.
"I brought this case to defend my work, clear my name, and send a message," he stated in a news release issued by his law firm. "This case was about taking a stand, not about fame or money." On Twitter, Hothi echoed that remark multiple times, adding barbs against Musk. "I'm glad to see the world is now recognising that he is a fraud," he wrote.
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The now-completed legal proceedings revolve around Musk's 2019 comments in which the Tesla CEO claimed that Hothy mistreated and attempted to kill Tesla employees. Plaintiffs contested the accuracy of the claims, claiming they were defamatory and had been extensively circulated.
Hothi, a PhD student, is well-known to both Tesla and Musk, as well as among the billionaire's adoring followers. In the run-up to Tesla's Model 3 car manufacturing, he amassed a sizable internet following as "Skaboshka" on Twitter. Hothy gathered and shared drone footage and other photographs from the company's Fremont, California headquarters, implying that reality does not match Musk's story.
The PhD student was on a quest to disprove Tesla's boasts about high-tech, automated Model 3 production, which, like many of Musk's assertions, were false.
Hothy became a folk hero among Tesla short-sellers, prompting criticism and Musk's wrath. If Tesla's guards see Hothi or his vehicle near the factory, the CEO instructed them to accompany the "independent investigator" out.
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After two separate events in 2019, Tesla attempted to arrest Hothy and later sought a restraining order against the graduate student in court. In one, the firm claimed that Hothy hit and ran a Tesla guard with his vehicle at a publicly accessible Tesla showroom near the Fremont production facility.
However, the Los Angeles Times reports that Tesla withdrew the case after law enforcement apparently notified the firm that a security camera tape revealed no evidence of a hit-and-run.
In the second incident, Tesla said Hothy pursued and harassed a Tesla driver outside of Tesla's grounds. However, after a judge ordered Tesla to share film of the incident obtained by the car's camera, the firm dropped the complaint.
Musk issued an email saying that Haughty was "actively harassing" and "nearly killing" Tesla staff after both inactive legal actions against the graduate student. Aaron Greenspan, the email's addressee, is a long-time Tesla critic and the owner of the legal search engine Plainsight. Greenspan made Musk's email public, which served as the basis for Elephant's defamation claim.
This is not the first well publicised episode of its nature involving Musk, who is known for speaking his mind online and for lying, exaggerating, and being untruthful. A cave diver who assisted in the rescue of a stranded Thai football team has already sued the millionaire.
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Elon Musk called the diver, Vernon Unsworth, a "pedo man" in a series of tweets in 2018. That case was won by the world's second-richest man, which means you can lawfully say whatever you want to Elon Musk - both publicly and privately. You can't make up a narrative about him attempting to run you over with his Tesla.