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Jury selection for a class action lawsuit against Tesla CEO Elon Musk began today in federal court in San Francisco. Naturally, potential jurors already knew who Musk was, and some expressed strongly negative opinions about him.
A woman who called Musk “talented but crazy” in a questionnaire distributed to potential jurors. One person said that Musk has a mercenary personality.
That doesn’t mean Musk won’t get a fair trial. The jury selection process, though imperfect, is designed to exclude jurors who are incapable of impartial judgment based on evidence.
Mr. Musk’s attorneys have previously tried to move the case out of San Francisco, claiming the jury pool was too biased against him. I have a lot of fans,” he said, dismissing the attempt. Today, Musk’s attorneys pressured some jurors about whether they were fair, given that they expressed strong views about Musk and his social media use.
The lead plaintiff, Glen Littleton, bought Tesla stock at a high price and sold it at a loss after Musk’s false claim that he secured funds to take Tesla private at $420 a share in 2018. Chen, a judge in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, has already ruled that Musk recklessly made false statements on Twitter. there is
But there are important questions the jury will have to decide during the 10-day trial. You can read a more detailed preview of the case in this article. Jury selection was ongoing at the time this article was published and may end today. We heard some of the jury selections via the trial’s Zoom link.
“I can try to be neutral”
The woman, who, like many others, called Musk “talented but insane”, responded to questions from the judge and side attorneys about her views on Musk. “Social media is not a way to handle professional tasks,” he said, adding that he “expects more professional people” to become CEOs of large companies.
Noting that the incident was about Musk’s tweets, Chen asked the woman if she could be impartial about her opinion of Musk’s use of social media. You can try,” she said.
After Musk’s attorney pressured her about her remarks, she said, “I think I’m biased. Just look at the evidence and be fair.”
One juror candidate called Mr. Musk “arrogant” and “genius” at the same time. The man said his view of Musk has become more negative since buying Twitter. “Before that, he just seemed like an arrogant rich man,” he said.
“A little arrogant and narcissistic”
A woman who called Mr. Musk arrogant, unpredictable and irrational criticized Mr. Musk’s insistence on keeping Tesla factories running despite local shelter-in-place orders early in the pandemic Did.
One woman, whom Musk described in an interview as being “a little arrogant and narcissistic”, said she could make a fair jury. That doesn’t mean you should judge them,” she replied to Chen’s question.
After being asked by Mr. Musk’s attorney whether his opinions consciously or unconsciously influenced him during the trial, he said, “I don’t think you can judge a person until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes.” I really believe in
The man who described Mask as having a “mercenary personality” said that that type of personality could lead to good results. I’m just doing [phrase] He says he’s willing to take risks and opportunities and try to do things that other people aren’t willing to do. “
“I don’t think I deserve this case.”
One of Musk’s concerns was finding a jury that didn’t pre-judge the case based on the fact that a judge had already ruled that Musk’s tweets were false.
Mr. Musk’s attorneys said, “Mr. Musk’s tweets are alleged to have been inaccurate. We are asked to determine whether they were material to a reasonable investor in the purchase or sale of securities in the context in which the tweets were made.” Musk’s attorney said. Jury.
Musk’s attorneys repeatedly asked potential jurors to think about whether this was the right case for them. One man said, “I don’t think I’m necessarily the right person for this case. I have a lot of opinions.”
Fifty-two people were subpoenaed for jury selection, according to an Associated Press article. “Eight juror candidates who expressed extreme anxiety or enthusiasm about Mr. Musk in pre-trial questionnaires agreed to be questioned privately to reduce the possibility of influencing their opinions,” Chen said. of others in court.”
