Delaware’s Supreme Court Slashes Legal Fees in Tesla Director Pay Lawsuit

The Delaware Supreme Court significantly reduced the legal fees Tesla is required to pay to shareholder lawyers following a successful lawsuit alleging directors overpaid themselves. The court lowered the fee award from $176.1 million to $70.9 million, determining that the initial amount was inflated due to an overvaluation of the settlement. The original fee calculation included the intrinsic value of returned stock options, which the Supreme Court ruled should have been excluded when assessing the benefit to the company.

The lawsuit involved directors like Robyn Denholm and James Murdoch, who agreed to return approximately $277 million in cash and stock options to Tesla. While lawyers had valued the settlement at $919 million to justify their fee request, the court disagreed with this assessment. This decision comes amid growing concerns about rising legal fees in Delaware courts, prompting the state’s bar association to consider recommending changes to lawmakers.

Elon Musk, though not directly involved in this settlement, is currently defending his own compensation in a separate legal challenge. The ruling represents a win for Tesla in managing its legal expenses related to the director pay dispute.

(Source：Insurance Journal)