Tesla stockholders ask judge to silence Musk in fraud case

By TOM KRISHER
AP Auto Writer

DETROIT (AP) — A group of Tesla shareholders suing CEO Elon Musk over some 2018 tweets about taking the company private is asking a federal judge to order Musk to stop commenting on the case. The lawyers also say the judge in the case has ruled that Musk’s tweets about having “funding secured” to take Tesla private were false. They allege that the tweets manipulated Tesla’s stock price and cost them money. Musk said Thursday that he had the money to take Tesla private, and he agreed to settle only because bankers told him he had to or they would stop lending money. But the stockholders’ lawyers say Musk is trying to influence potential jurors. Musk’s lawyer says he truthfully tweeted that he was considering taking Tesla private and could have done it.