Elon Musk insisted too much on his innocence.
That’s the gist of court testimony from an investor who accused Tesla’s CEO of lying in a 2018 tweet about taking Tesla private.
In an “emergency” court filing, the investor’s attorneys told the judge in charge of the case late Thursday that Musk and his attorneys were “informing jurors over the three days the billionaire spent on the witness stand.” He complained that it caused “confusion”.
“On at least 10 occasions, Mr. Musk has testified to the accuracy and veracity of the ‘financed’ tweets,” they wrote. “Furthermore, although the court had already determined that Mr. Musk acted recklessly, he testified that his intentions were genuine.”
It is not uncommon for people accused of lying to defend themselves in court by saying they told the truth.
However, the case is unusual, as a judge had previously ruled that material parts of Musk’s August 2018 tweet were false and reckless.
And, as a bonus, just days into the trial, U.S. District Judge Edward Chen once again warned jurors that the tweets were false. Thursday’s submission is yet another call for warnings to jurors.
The filing reiterates several altercations during Musk’s defense of his famous tweet on Aug. 7, 2018.
The tweet was “absolutely true,” Musk told jurors on Monday.Saudi Arabia’s Sovereign Wealth Fund has pledged to back the Go Private Plan, using SpaceX shares to fund the deal. Musk repeatedly testified that the availability of funding supports his claim that “funding is secured.”
On Tuesday, he stressed to jurors that he had no “bad motives” when he tweeted and wanted to “do the right thing for shareholders” by letting them know about his plans to go private.
The two-week trial, which began on Jan. 17, resumed on Friday, with testimony from Egon Durban, co-CEO of private equity firm Silverlake, and Dundee, CEO of Goldman Sachs. Expected. schedule.