Tesla, Rivian Reach Conditional Settlement in Poaching Suit
[Stay on top of transportation news: Get TTNews in your inbox.]
Tesla Inc. said it’s reached a “conditional” settlement in its 2020 lawsuit accusing Rivian Automotive Inc. of poaching employees to steal electric-vehicle trade secrets.
Tesla didn’t disclose specifics about the agreement in a court filing, but told a California state judge that it expects to seek dismissal of the case by Dec. 24 upon satisfactory completion of the terms.
Rivian declined to comment. A lawyer for Tesla didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
The dispute kicked off more than four years ago when Elon Musk’s electric-vehicle maker accused Rivian of an “alarming pattern” of poaching its employees and stealing trade secrets. Some workers were “caught red-handed” misappropriating core technology for its next-generation batteries, Tesla later said.
Rivian has denied wrongdoing and criticized the lawsuit as an effort to suppress competition in the EV market.
Rivian and a group of its employees who defected from Tesla lost bids to get the lawsuit thrown out and a trial was set for March.
The case is Tesla Inc. v. Rivian Automotive Inc., 20CV368472, California Superior Court, Santa Clara County (San Jose).
Want more news? Listen to today's daily briefing below or go here for more info:
