The US Securities and Exchange Commission is asking a federal judge to hold Elon Musk in contempt of court following “stunning” behavior by the Tesla CEO.
The regulator said Monday that Musk had continued to fire off tweets about Tesla without consulting others at the company despite having agreed to a court-ordered settlement requiring him to do so.
Musk agreed to the deal with the SEC in order to settle charges over his controversial tweet in August about his plans to take Tesla private. But the SEC has since found fault with Musk’s tweeting.
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The regulator said that it was “stunning” that Musk “had not sought pre-approval for a single one of the numerous tweets about Tesla” he has published since the settlement was agreed.
It also dismissed Musk’s argument that his First Amendment rights are being violated.
Lawyers representing Musk responded with a court filing seeking permission to address “unsupported assertions” made by the SEC and to submit documentation that “undermines” the regulator’s position.
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