In August 2018, Tesla CEO Elon Musk oddly and fatefully tweeted that he had secured funding to take Tesla private. (Alexander Stein, Forbes). Shortly after, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) filed suit against Musk and Tesla, alleging that Musk made materially false and misleading statements in violation of Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b‑5. (SEC Complaint, Sept. 27, 2018). The SEC argued that Musk “knew or was reckless in not knowing that his statements were false and misleading” and that he omitted material facts in his statement. (Id.) According to the SEC, Musk’s statements “caused market chaos and harmed Tesla investors.” (Id.) In September 2018, the SEC and Musk reached a settlement on these charges which required Musk to step down as chairman of Tesla for three years, pay a $20 million fine, and consent to independent directors monitoring his communications to investors. (Matthew Goldstein, N.Y. Times).

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