Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images
- Elon Musk denied in court Monday that he ever rage-fired employees.
- The Tesla CEO said he "gives clear and frank feedback which may be construed as derision."
- Tesla shareholders filed a lawsuit after the firm acquired SolarCity in 2016.
- See more stories on Insider's business page.
Elon Musk appeared in court Monday to defend Tesla's acquisition of SolarCity in 2016 and denied ever rage-firing employees.
The CEO instead suggested that he "gives clear and frank feedback which may be construed as derision," reports from Bloomberg and other journalists at the trial in Delaware said.
Musk created a reputation for himself during the initial production of Tesla's Model 3 for going on so-called rage-firing sprees. A Tesla spokesperson denounced these claims to Wired at the time, saying Musk made "difficult but necessary decisions."
During questioning in the chancery court, Musk threw verbal gabs at Randall Baron, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, calling him a "bad human being" for working at Milberg Weiss, and Robbins Geller, two law firms involved in a criminal scandal.
"You were mentored by criminals, then you continued to be mentored by criminals, and that's why I don't trust you," Musk said to Baron, Bloomberg reported. "I think you are a bad human being."
If Musk loses the trial, he could be ordered to pay billions of dollars in damages to shareholders who saw their stock value fall in the wake of Tesla's acquisition of SolarCity.
Arguments are set to continue Tuesday.