New York : Tesla CEO Elon Musk has agreed to pay $10,000 to settle a defamation case filed against him by critic and independent researcher Indian-American Sikh Randeep Hothi. Hothi, a doctoral student in Asian languages and cultures at the University of Michigan, filed a defamation case against Musk in 2020. She had alleged that the billionaire businessman had falsely accused her of actively harassing and “almost killing” Tesla employees.
In March 2023, after a long battle, Musk asked Hothi to settle the matter. In a statement announcing her acceptance of Musk’s reconciliation offer, Hothy said, “This case was not about seeking fame or money. It was about taking a stand. I’m feeling fine.”
He said, “I took this case to defend my work, to clear my name and to send a message… I believe I have accomplished that. Many thanks to Musk. His behavior in the last one year has made it clear that he needs to review his every word and every action.
“Last year, Musk said he would ‘never settle an unjust case,’” said D. Gil Spelin, one of Höthy’s attorneys. Yet he has asked Höthy to settle it. We welcome Musk’s belated acknowledgment that this matter was justified.”
Hothy’s face-off with Tesla came when he created a Twitter account under the name ACRETSKABOOShKA and fact-checked published claims by Musk and his company about the electric vehicle maker’s automation, technology and production processes.
Hothi observed the production process at Tesla’s California factory in early 2018 as a social worker. In April 2019, Tesla sought a restraining order against Hothy. He alleged that Hothy struck an employee with his car in a Tesla factory parking lot. Hothi rejected the allegation outright.
Tesla abruptly dropped its lawsuit in July 2019 after Hothy and his legal team obtained a court order against Tesla to hand over video of the alleged collision. The following month, Musk e-mailed a reporter accusing Hothy of “actively harassing” and “almost kill(ing)” Tesla employees.
That comment was later published and circulated on Twitter to hundreds of thousands of people. Support for Hothy poured in from all quarters, including whistleblowers, researchers, journalists and critics of Musk’s allegations. Hothi sued for defamation in August 2020. Musk attempted to settle the case by arguing that his allegations were protected speech and therefore should be dismissed under California’s anti-SLAPP law.
In January 2021, the trial court rejected Musk’s arguments. The court said that Hathi “has shown a likelihood that he may succeed on his claim” because Musk’s remarks amount to a criminal allegation and thus fall within the category of defamation. Hothi accepted Musk’s offer of reconciliation on 30 April.
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