Elon Musk appeared in court on Monday to defend Tesla's acquisition of SolarCity in 2016 and denied ever rage-firing employees.
The CEO instead suggested that he "gives clear and frank feedback which may be construed as derision," according to reports from Bloomberg and other journalists present at the trial in Delaware.
Musk created a reputation for himself during the initial production of Tesla's Model 3 for going on so-called rage-firing sprees. A Tesla spokesperson denounced these claims to Wired at the time, saying that Musk made "difficult but necessary decisions."
During questioning in the chancery court, Musk also threw verbal gabs at Randall Baron, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, calling him a "bad human being," for working at Milberg Weiss, and Robbins Geller, two law firms that were involved in a criminal scandal.
"You were mentored by criminals, then you continued to be mentored by criminals and that's why I don't trust you," Musk said to Baron, according to Bloomberg. "I think you are a bad human being."
If Musk loses the trial, he could be ordered to pay billions of dollars in damages to shareholders who saw their stock value fall in the wake of Tesla's acquisition of SolarCity. Arguments will continue on Tuesday.
