Tesla loses lawsuit against former employee, ordered to pay for attorney fees

Jicha, a former employee at Tesla’s Gigafactory in Nevada, sued Tesla in 2021, alleging he had been defamed by an email the company sent to its employees after Jicha left his position. Tesla sent an email to all Gigafactory employees saying that Jicha left the company after it confronted him with evidence of data theft. The email also said that it would send more information about the theft to employees as necessary to protect their personal information and private property.<br><br>Tesla alleged that Jicha sent confidential information to a reporter at Electrek, which resulted in the reporter reaching out to Tesla and identifying Jicha as the source. Tesla did not reveal what data was specifically leaked but said that none of it related to Autopilot or Full Self Driving or the development of products being pursued by the company’s advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) team.<br><br>Tesla said, “The exact nature of the information isn’t pertinent to this issue. What is pertinent is that we have these people who go into positions at the company, gain the trust of their colleagues, then exfiltrate data and release it to third parties who are unvetted and unapproved. This isn’t some whistleblower shit. It’s just outright criminal behavior.”<br><br>Jicha denied any wrongdoing; he argued that Tesla made false and misleading claims that harmed his reputation. The jury for the case ruled in Jicha’s favor and said Tesla had to pay him $6,000 in compensatory damages and $6,000 in punitive damages. Jicha could also be awarded attorney fees.<br><br>The jury ruled in Jicha’s favor because Tesla was unable to provide evidence that Jicha had sent confidential information to the Electrek reporter. A forensic analysis of Jicha’s computer and phone turned up nothing tying him to any wrongdoing. That forensic analysis was performed by Tesla itself, who was unable to find evidence of a crime on Jicha’s devices using digital forensic imaging and analysis.<br><br>Jicha himself suggested that Tesla’s claims of data theft were an attempt to deflect from Tesla’s own environmental and legal problems at Gigafactory Nevada. In 2020, it was revealed that Gigafactory Nevada had been contaminating the environment and local water with PFAS, (a group of manmade “forever chemicals” widely used in consumer products.) PFAS have also been linked to a variety of cancers and other serious health problems. PFAS can accumulate and stay in the human body for long periods of time. It’s also possible for PFAS to transfer from mother to child during pregnancy and breast feeding.