Last year Tesla accused Rivian of poaching a high number of their employees. In a recent update to the lawsuit, Tesla says Rivian continues to poach their employees, and now also accuses Rivian of stealing ‘highly proprietary’ battery technology.
According to court filings on September 28, Tesla says that in the summer of 2021 defectors were caught ‘red-handed stealing core technology for its next-generation batteries.
“Now apparently under pressure from investors after nearly a dozen years without producing a single commercial vehicle, Rivian has intensified its unlawful efforts,” Tesla said.
Last week, a California state judge allowed Tesla to add the new allegations to their pending case. Rivian objected, and we have not seen anything from the court as of yet.
However, Rivian already lost their initial request for dismissal of the lawsuit back in March 2021.
Rivian begins R1T deliveries with first units handed over to long-time employees
This court case comes at a crucial time for Rivian, as the automaker is planning an initial public offering later this month. According to reporting by Bloomberg, the company is seeking an evaluation of $80 billion.
Neither Rivian nor Tesla provided a comment on the new allegations or the case in general.
