Tesla Inc. has appointed New York trial lawyer Adam Mehes, just three months after its CEO Elon Musk pledged to establish an internal litigation team for the firm, according to Teslarati.
Mehes started working for Tesla this month as an assistant general attorney for litigation in Austin, Texas, based on his LinkedIn profile and his New York State Unified Court System registration.
Prior to that, he worked as a litigation counsel for Davis Polk & Wardwell, which advertises itself as the preeminent firm that top businesses and financial institutions rely on for counsel on business and legal issues worldwide.
CEO Elon Musk announced that the firm is creating a “hardcore litigation department” as early as May. The most recent report indicates that the team is now operational.
Initiating and enforcing legal action is the primary goal of this department dedicated to litigation, as the firm has been receiving relentless attacks. For instance, CEO Musk was accused of sexually harassing a former SpaceX employee, which he strongly refuted. Gwynne Shotwell, president of SpaceX, also claimed that she was unaware of the alleged occurrence.
In response, Musk asserts that Tesla is now hiring attorneys for the litigation team when asked how the team’s efforts are progressing. He further disclosed that some of the Twitter users who replied to his ad are candidates for the open positions.
“Tesla’s just under a relentless attack from so many. So I think we just have to have like a strong litigation group that fights back, essentially. A lot of really talented lawyers have sent in their resumes, and we’re actually going through that.”
“We’re going to be hiring a bunch of people who responded to my tweet. We’re under constant attack. It’s insane,” Elon Musk said.
It is worth noting that Tesla has sued the Louisiana Automobile Dealers Association, several Louisiana Motor Vehicle Commission officials, and a few dealerships to fight for consumer rights in the state.
With its own legal team, Tesla would be better equipped to defend itself from attack and keep up its support for consumer rights.
