The legendary entrepreneur Elon Musk recently declared that he might move the upcoming trial against the officials that rejected his plans to re-open Tesla’s Fremont plant from San Francisco to a more “objective” federal court due to “local negativity.”
On Tuesday, the billionaire took to Twitter to air his grievances with local presiding officials. Owner of Tesla and SpaceX, Musk’s companies had been shut down by the local county officials due to the coronavirus pandemic. This led Musk to follow a long court process to get his companies out of the lockdown.
While Musk claimed that he was following the safety protocols set up by the county, the presiding officials rejected Mr. Musk’s plans. As an act of protest, the Tesla CEO declared that his legal representation is now moving the proceedings to the U.S. District Court in Oakland, California, believing the federal court would be less hostile. In the same tweet, Musk criticized the officials for displaying ignorance.
The news of Musk’s move came as both a surprise and a relief to many Tesla fans as the Elon has been vocal about reopening the company for some time now. It could be a major milestone for the production of Tesla’s new Model Y and other planned projects, as the delay caused by the court proceedings had cost the company an estimated “hundreds of millions of dollars” in lost production.
Sacramento Superior Court spokesperson, Greg Risling, was quick to respond saying that the county is still committed to protecting the local populace, citing health considerations as the priority. He also stated that the county had sent detailed safety guidelines to be followed by Musk and his companies.
Moreover, the officials were not thrilled to hear of Musk’s outburst and allegations. After the news broke, a statement by the county officials read, “Judge Kelso heard the merits of this case and ruled in favor of the County, we stand by his decision.”
It is yet to be seen what the repercussions of Elon’s outburst would be, but in a recent statement, Tesla’s spokesperson noted that the company has agreed to “collaborate with the public health agencies” and that it continues to display respect for the situation.
Regardless of the outcome of the trial, it is clear that Elon believes that a more favorable resolution can be achieved in the federal court, and shows his passion for his one-of-a-kind company.