Tag: settles

Musk settles defamation suit brought by Indian-American Sikh

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New York: Tesla CEO Elon Musk has agreed to pay $10,000 to settle a defamation case brought against him by Indian-American Sikh critic and independent researcher, Randeep Hothi.
Hothi, a doctoral student in Asian Languages and Cultures at the University of Michigan, had filed a defamation case against Musk in 2020, alleging that the billionaire businessman falsely accused him of actively harassing and “almost killing” Tesla employees.
Following a lengthy and hard-fought litigation, in March 2023, Musk asked Hothi to settle the case.

“This case was about taking a stand, not seeking fame or money. I feel vindicated,” said Hothi, announcing that he accepted Musk’s settlement offer in a statement.
“I brought this case to defend my work, clear my name, and send a message… I believe I’ve accomplished that, thanks in no small part to Musk, whose own behaviour over the last year has highlighted the need to scrutinise his every word and deed.”
D. Gill Sperlein, one of Hothi’s lawyers, said: “Last year, Musk famously promised that he would never ‘settle an unjust case’. Yet, he has asked Hothi to accommodate him. We welcome Musk’s belated acknowledgment that this case was just.”
Hothi locked horns with Tesla after he created the @skabooshka Twitter account where he fact-checked Musk and his company’s published claims regarding the electric vehicle manufacturer’s automation, technology and production processes.
Beginning in 2018, Hothi, donning the role of a social activist, observed Tesla’s production at its Fremont, California-based factory.

He also documented the construction of Tesla’s Model 3 assembly line tent, sharing photos of his Twitter followers.
In April 2019, Tesla sought a restraining order against Hothi, alleging that the latter struck an employee with his car in a Tesla factory parking lot — an accusation that Hothi vehemently denied.
When Hothi and his legal team successfully obtained a court order requiring Tesla to hand over video evidence of the alleged encounter, Tesla abruptly dropped its lawsuit in July 2019.
Yet the following month, Musk e-mailed a reporter accusing Hothi of “actively harassing” and “almost kill(ing)” Tesla employees.
That remark was later published and amplified to hundreds of thousands of people on Twitter.
Musk’s accusations prompted an outpouring of public support for Hothi, including from whistleblowers, researchers, journalists, and critics.
In August 2020, represented by Sperlein, Hothi filed a defamation lawsuit against Musk based on his remarks.
Musk attempted to dispose of the case by arguing that his accusations were protected speech and hence should be dismissed under California’s anti-SLAPP law.
In January 2021, the trial court rejected Musk’s arguments, holding that Hothi “has demonstrated the probability that he can succeed on the merits of his claim” because Musk’s remarks were tantamount to an accusation of crime, and thus legally constituted defamation per se.
Hothi accepted Musk’s settlement offer on April 30, and is expected to request dismissal of the case on May 1, pursuant to the terms of the settlement agreement.
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#Musk #settles #defamation #suit #brought #IndianAmerican #Sikh
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

May 3, 2023
Rupee settles flat at 81.92 against US dollar

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Mumbai: The rupee traded in a narrow range and settled on a flat note at 81.92 (provisional) against the US dollar amid rising crude oil prices and foreign fund outflows.
At the interbank foreign exchange market, the local unit opened at 81.95 against the US currency and finally closed at 81.92 (provisional) against the greenback, unchanged from its previous close.
During the session, the rupee touched a high of 81.86 and a low of 81.96 against the dollar. The rupee on Monday settled at 81.92 against the US dollar.

According to Jateen Trivedi, VP Research Analyst at LKP Securities, the rupee traded range bound near 81.90 as the dollar index was in the consolidation range.
“The rupee replicated peers by staying in the range of 81.85-81.95. The US GDP data is the next key trigger for the traders to watch out for, till then the range for the rupee can be seen in 81.75 – 82.10,” Trivedi said.
The dollar index, which gauges the greenback’s strength against a basket of six currencies, rose 0.06 per cent to 101.40.
Global oil benchmark Brent crude futures declined 0.39 per cent to USD 82.41 per barrel.
On the domestic equity market front, the 30-share BSE Sensex advanced 74.61 points or 0.12 per cent to end at 60,130.71 points and the broader NSE Nifty gained 25.85 points or 0.15 per cent to 17,769.25 points.

Foreign institutional investors were net sellers in the capital market on Monday as they offloaded shares worth Rs 412.27 crore, as per exchange data.
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#Rupee #settles #flat #dollar
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 25, 2023
Sri Lanka settles India’s credit line from very 1st IMF tranche

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Colombo: Sri Lanka has used the very first tranche of the IMF loan of $330 to repay part of Indian credit line.
State Minister for Finance Ranjith Siyambalapitiya told media that $120 million was used to settle the loan taken from India.
“Over the recent past India gave credit lines to import much-needed essentials, including medicine and fuel, and we were to settle part of it on Thursday which we did it on that day itself,” the State Minister said.
“It is important that we follow the debt repayment,” he added.
Following the economic crisis and Sri Lanka defaulted on its debt
in April last year, India provided financial support of more than $4 billion, including credit lines.
India was also one of the first countries that helped Sri Lanka to get the IMF bailout by agreeing to restructure its debt with the troubled southern neighbour.
Following China, Sri Lanka’s biggest bilateral creditor, agreeing to restructure its loans, the IMF agreed to award the conditional loan which would be given within a period of 48 months.
Sri Lanka’s financial crisis with shortages of essential items such
as food, fuel and medicine with long queues to purchase them, people took to street in March last year.

Street fights toppled Sri Lanka’s government forcing President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to flee the country, passing his presidency to Ranil Wickremesinghe.
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#Sri #Lanka #settles #Indias #credit #line #1st #IMF #tranche
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 25, 2023
Texas AG settles with former aides who reported him to FBI

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Both sides signed a mediated agreement that was filed in the Texas Supreme Court and will be followed by a longer, formalized settlement.
“Attorney General Ken Paxton accepts that plaintiffs acted in a manner that they thought was right and apologizes for referring to them as ‘rogue employees,’” the final settlement must state, according to court records.
In all, eight members of Paxton’s senior staff joined in the extraordinary revolt in 2020, and they either resigned or were fired. The attorney general said he settled with the four who sued under Texas’ whistleblower law to put to rest “this unfortunate sideshow.”
“I have chosen this path to save taxpayer dollars and ensure my third term as attorney general is unburdened by unnecessary distractions,” Paxton said in a statement.
The $3.3 million payout would not come from Paxton’s own pocket but from state funds, which means it would still require approval by the GOP-controlled Texas Legislature.
Settlement of the case, which Paxton’s office fought in court for years, means he will avoid sitting for a civil deposition at a time when a corruption investigation by federal agents and prosecutors remains open. In turn, the attorney general’s office agreed to remove an October 2020 news release from its website that decries Paxton’s accusers and to issue the statement of contrition to former staffers David Maxwell, Ryan Vassar, Mark Penley and James Blake Brickman.
“The whistleblowers sacrificed their jobs and have spent more than two years fighting for what is right,” said Maxwell’s lawyer, TJ Turner. Brickman was not part of the mediation with Paxton’s office but joined the settlement, attorney Tom Nesbitt said, after being asked to and negotiating “significant non-monetary terms.”
The settlement also prevents Paxton from seeking the withdrawal of a 2021 appeals court ruling that state whistleblower law applies to the attorney general.

The agreement does not include any provisions limiting the ability of Paxton’s accusers to make public statements or cooperate with federal investigators.
The deal comes more than two years after Paxton’s staff accused him of misusing his office to help Austin real estate developer Nate Paul, whose business was also under federal investigation. The allegations centered on Paxton hiring an outside lawyer to investigate Paul’s claims of misconduct by the FBI.
Paxton and Paul have broadly denied wrongdoing and neither has been charged with a federal crime.
In the wake of the revolt, an Associated Press investigation in September found that Paxton’s agency has come unmoored, with seasoned lawyers quitting over practices they say slant legal work, reward loyalists and drum out dissent.
But the investigation, accusations and a separate 2015 securities fraud indictment for which Paxton has yet to face trial have done little to hurt him politically. He easily defeated challenger George P. Bush in a contested GOP primary last spring, went on to decisively beat his Democratic opponent and secure a third term in November and has filed a steady stream of legal challenges to the administration of Democratic President Joe Biden.
While swearing in Paxton to another four years on the job last month, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott described it as an easy call during the midterm elections to keep backing him.
“I supported Ken Paxton because I thought the way he was running the attorney general’s office was the right way to run the attorney general’s office,” said Abbott.
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#Texas #settles #aides #reported #FBI
( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

February 11, 2023