Elon Musk’s SolarCity Trial Nears Conclusion With $2 Billion at Stake

CEO must pay Tesla if judge finds he unfairly controlled deal
Tesla’s Gracias is questioned on Musk and pricing discussion

Elon Musk arrives at court for the SolarCity trial in Wilmington, Delaware, on July 13.Photographer: Samuel Corum/Bloomberg

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By Jef Feeley and Dana Hull

August 16, 2021 at 1:00 PM UTC

Corrected

August 17, 2021 at 5:19 PM UTC

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Elon Musk was acting as a proper chief executive officer as Tesla Inc. weighed the purchase of power provider SolarCity in 2016, his longtime ally and fellow Tesla director Antonio Gracias told a judge.

A two-week trial over the billionaire CEO’s role in the $2 billion transaction wrapped up on Monday, and now Judge Joseph Slights III must decide whether Musk -- who was the solar company’s chairman and largest shareholder at the time -- properly removed himself from the deal to avoid conflicts of interest.