Elon Musk has hired the lead prosecutor of the 2006
Enron case to defend him in a contempt of court battle brought by the
Securities and Exchange Commission.
The substitution puts a well-versed securities lawyer in Musk's corner, and adds notoriety to an already high-interest case.
John Hueston and a team of three attorneys from Hueston Hennigan LLP have taken up the
Tesla CEO's most recent legal case, according to a document filed Thursday in the U.S. District Court of the Southern District of New York. Musk is facing allegations he violated a settlement deal with the SEC, struck last fall, by tweeting "inaccurate" company information without the required pre-approval.
Hueston headed the prosecution against Enron executives Kenneth Lay and Jeffrey Skilling, which saw both men convicted of securities and wire fraud.
Hueston takes over in Musk's case for Dane Butswinkas, who resigned as Tesla's general counsel last week, just a day after Musk sent the questionable tweet. Butswinkas held the top legal post at Tesla for just two months.
Hueston is already representing Musk in two other lawsuits — according to Bloomberg, which first reported the switch — a defamation suit brought by British rescue diver Vernon Unsworth, who Musk called a "pedo guy" in a tweet, and a lawsuit involving a former employee who Tesla claims sought to sabotage the company after he was fired.