Grimes and Azealia Banks have now been dragged into a class action lawsuit by investors against Tesla and Elon Musk, according to StereoGum. A Northern California federal court judge has allowed subpoenas to be served to the singer Grimes and rapper Banks for the preservation of any documents that could be considered evidence.
In the summer, Elon Musk posted his infamous tweet that read, “Am considering taking Tesla private at $420. Funding secured.” The tweet was allegedly made as a joke due to the number’s significance to marijuana and he thought his then-girlfriend Grimes would find it amusing. Because of this, the Securities and Exchange Commission charged Musk with fraud for misleading investors to take Tesla private, resulting Musk to owe $40 million in fines and a step down from the position as chairman of the board.
Now a group of investors are suing Tesla and Musk over the same tweet. In addition, Adam M. Apton of Levi & Korsinsky, the firm representing the investors, have issued out subpoenas to the singer and rapper, along with news publications like Business Insider, The New York Times and Gizmodo.
Grimes was served to maintain pieces of evidence due to New York Times interview that targets her being one of the last people Musk spoke to prior to him sending out his tweet. Banks has been linked to this lawsuit after claims she made in a Business Insider article. She claimed that Musk was actively trying to find investors to help “cover” for the tweet he made, in which she claims Grimes was also present for. Investors believe Banks may be a key source in this lawsuit due to her presence in Musk’s home in Los Angeles, potential observations after the social media fallout and claims of Musk being “on acid” while posting the infamous tweet. The news publications were issued to refrain from erasing any potential evidence due to their involvement in interviewing Banks and Musk.
The subpoena requires that all parties preserve information like social media messages, text messages, and other documents that could be relevant to the case. Earlier this year, Musk’s attorney attempted to argue that issuing subpoenas to the two artists would only “sensationalize these proceedings,” but as it’s known now, that message also wasn’t well received.
Photo taken by Owen Ela
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