Reactions to story from Autoblog

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  Former employee slaps Tesla with class action suit

  http://www.racecartalk.com/former-employee-slaps-tesla-with-...
  53 days ago in Race Car Talk - Your source for supercar news · Authority: 2

  Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative, Government/Legal, Hirings/Firings/Layoffs Their plate may be filled with churning out Tesla Roadsters and developing the Model S sedan, but Tesla Motors can’t seem to get a break from the lawsuits. First there was the tiff with transmission supplier Magna, followed by potential development partner Fisker, and now Tesla is facing a class action (it’s not a class action lawsuit until a judge deems it so) lawsuit from former Director of Public Relations, David Vespremi. Vespremi ended up on the cutting room floor during the tornado that swept through the company ranks at the end of 2007 was let go prior to the layoffs in January of this year. Vespremi is trying to connect his firing to the layoffs, but according to Tesla’s Darryl Siry, that’s not the case — his termination was a separate matter. The details of the lawsuit allege that Tesla Motors did not practice good faith or fair dealing, violated labor codes with unpaid wages and waiting periods, and utilized unfair business practices. The document also listed libel and slander due to the harsh words spoken from the mouths of executives to the media when referencing the former employees. Thanks for the tip Jan! UPDATE: Darryl Siry of Tesla wanted to clear a few things up with the story. To begin with, a judge must certify a lawsuit as class action before it can be deemed as such. That hasn’t happened yet. Additionally, the part of the lawsuit filed by David Vespremi that asks for class action status has nothing to do with libel, slander, or defamation. The only part of Vespremi’s lawsuit that could be classified as “class” has to do with Tesla’s arbitration and non-conciliation clause in his employment agreement. [Source: San Mateo Court] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Autoblog
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  Former employee slaps Tesla with class action suit

  http://autocar.iblog365.com/2008/07/16/former-employee-slaps...
  53 days ago in Auto Car · Authority: 16

  Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative, Government/Legal, Hirings/Firings/LayoffsTheir plate may be filled with churning out Tesla Roadsters and developing the Model S sedan, but Tesla Motors can't seem to get a break from the lawsuits. First there was the tiff with transmission supplier Magna, followed by potential development partner Fisker, and now Tesla is facing a class action lawsuit from former Director of Public Relations, David Vespremi. Vespremi ended up on the cutting room floor during the tornado that swept through the company ranks at the end of 2007. According to Tesla VP, Darryl Siry, the firings were centered on slacking employees and mismanagement. However, Vespremi obviously did not agree. Even departed founder, Martin Eberhard, did not see rationalization in the reorganization that occurred. With that kind of reaction, it was not too surprising to see the suit get filed. The details of the lawsuit allege that Tesla Motors did not practice good faith or fair dealing, violated labor codes with unpaid wages and waiting periods, and utilized unfair business practices. The document also listed libel and slander due to the harsh words spoken from the mouths of executives to the media when referencing the former employees. Thanks for the tip Jan! [Source: San Mateo Court] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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  Former employee slaps Tesla with class action suit

  http://www.frenzycars.com/2008/07/16/former-employee-slaps-t...
  53 days ago in Cars Blog · Authority: 19

  Former employee slaps Tesla with class action suit July 16th, 2008 Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative, Government/Legal, Hirings/Firings/Layoffs Their plate may be filled with churning out Tesla Roadsters and developing the Model S sedan, but Tesla Motors can’t seem to get a break from the lawsuits. First there was the tiff with transmission supplier Magna, followed by potential development partner Fisker, and now Tesla is facing a class action (it’s not a class action lawsuit until a judge deems it so) lawsuit from former Director of Public Relations, David Vespremi. Vespremi ended up on the cutting room floor during the tornado that swept through the company ranks at the end of 2007 was let go prior to the layoffs in January of this year. Vespremi is trying to connect his firing to the layoffs, but according to Tesla’s Darryl Siry, that’s not the case — his termination was a separate matter. The details of the lawsuit allege that Tesla Motors did not practice good faith or fair dealing, violated labor codes with unpaid wages and waiting periods, and utilized unfair business practices. The document also listed libel and slander due to the harsh words spoken from the mouths of executives to the media when referencing the former employees. Thanks for the tip Jan! UPDATE: Darryl Siry of Tesla wanted to clear a few things up with the story. To begin with, a judge must certify a lawsuit as class action before it can be deemed as such. That hasn’t happened yet. Additionally, the part of the lawsuit filed by David Vespremi that asks for class action status has nothing to do with libel, slander, or defamation. The only part of Vespremi’s lawsuit that could be classified as “class” has to do with Tesla’s arbitration and non-conciliation clause in his employment agreement. [Source: San Mateo Court] Tags: cars, diy-life, engadget, gadling, golf, green-daily, lawsuit, merritt-johnson, nascar, television, tesla, tesla-roadster, vintage, web Posted in cars
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  On the Fisker Karma

  http://www.onelectriccars.com/?p=6
  58 days ago in OnElectricCars.com · No authority yet

  As much as I love the Fisker/Tesla slap fight going on right now, I don’t care to talk about it. Hopefully, this will be the start of a long, healthy competition between the two companies, not just a sue fest. And with Fisker optimistically anticipating production of about 15,000 Karmas a year at $80,000, we could have a battle on our hands. Tesla only expects to produce 2,000 Roadsters a year with its higher price tag of $100,000. However, the Fisker Karma will not have quite the performance, 0-60 in 6 seconds, compared to the Roadster’s 3.9. Interestingly, the Karma will have two driving modes, “Stealth Drive” and “Sport Drive”. The former will provide “relaxed and efficient driving” while the latter will unleash the cars power according to the company site .
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  Sparks fly: Fisker sues Tesla back

  http://barbarawoodhouse.net/1969/12/31/sparks-fly-fisker-sue...
  116 days ago in Barbara Woodhouse Car Blog · Authority: 1

  Sparks fly: Fisker sues Tesla back Filed under: Autoblog — John Neff @ 11:59 pm Filed under: Spy Photos, Sedans/Saloons, Government/Legal, Green Click above for more Fisker-supplied spy shots of the Karma Isn't it fitting that Fisker Automotive's upcoming series-hybrid sports sedan is named Karma?. After having commissioned Fisker to help design its second product, the Whitestar sedan, Tesla Motors sued Fisker claiming it stole trade secrets that were then used on the Karma. Following that lawsuit, Tesla was then sued by Magna, one of its former transmission suppliers, and now Fisker is slapping the upstart electric car company with its own arbitration suit. That's karma for you, right there. Fisker will attempt to first derail Tesla's original lawsuit by seeking to have it moved from San Mateo, CA to Orange County, after which it will then try to prove that Tesla is attempting to divert attention away from its delayed all-electric Roadster by suing Fisker. To that end, Henrik Fisker himself called the whole mess "ridiculous" and referred to Tesla's behaviour as "sour grapes". An arbitrator will likely determine whether he's right or not, but until then we lowly consumers must await ramped up production of the Tesla Roadster and the eventual arrival of the Fisker Karma. Thanks for the tip, Doug! Gallery: Fisker Karma - spy shots [Source: CNET News] Permalink | Email this

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