Elon Musk's Controversial Tweets Anger Tesla Investors

On January 17, 22023, Elon Musk and Tesla Inc. will be starting their securities fraud trial in California. The trial was initiated by Tesla investors who are upset about tweets Elon made about Tesla's privacy. Specifically, the CEO tweeted, "Considering taking Tesla private at $420. Funding secured" and, "Investor support is confirmed. Only reason why this is not certain is that it's contingent on a shareholder vote."

The class action lawsuit accused Elon of inflating the stock price of Tesla, leading to over a billion dollars in damage. A litigation partner not involved in the case but working at the same firm as Elon's attorney, stated the following regarding the focus of the trial:

"It will be fascinating to see how both sides offer evidence on that question and how a jury evaluates that proof, especially given the many real-time skeptics about the truth of the tweets and a developing focus on securities fraud via social media platforms like Twitter."

The case is In re: Tesla Inc. Securities Litigation, case number 3:18-cv-04865, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

Meat Consumer Protection Act; Misleading Labels Using "Meat Terms" on Trial

On September 12, 2022, a lawsuit in Oklahoma began regarding a state law requiring plant-based food companies to include disclaimer on labels if "meat terms" are included in their products.

Originally, this issue was already decided by a judge who determined that the "meat terms" are misleading to the reasonable consumer. The "meat terms" in question are terms like "hot dog", "bacon", "meatballs", and "jerky". The Meat Consumer Protection Act of 2020 requires that the disclaimers be the size of the meat terms used.

Chicago Alderman Corruption Case

On November 6, 2023, a former Chicago Alderman will be on trial for racketeering, bribery, and attempted extortion. Edward Burke was a long-time Alderman in Chicago, also a tax attorney and husband to Illinois Supreme Chief Justice Anne Burke. Edward Burke is also accused of extortion relating to his personal tax law firm.

The case is USA v. Burke et al., case number 1:19-cr-00322, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.