A court in Europe ruled in favor of the ex-employee, and now Tesla must pay nearly $190,000 to cover his compensation and legal fees
December 12, 2024 at 16:33
- Lukasz Krupski had been labeled a “disgruntled former employee” by the carmaker.
- Information uncovered by the whistleblower revealed several Autopilot issues.
- Krupski sued Tesla for lost wages and emotional distress, seeking a total of €250,000.
In a significant legal ruling, a Norwegian court has ordered Tesla to pay a former employee more than €10,000 (equal to $10,500 at current exchange rates) in damages and cover upwards of €170,000 ($178,000) in legal fees after finding the company had violated his rights as a whistleblower.
The case stems from the actions of Lukasz Krupski, a former service technician at Tesla’s plant in Drammen, Norway. Krupski had provided more than 100 gigabytes of data to German publication Handelsblatt, revealing security flaws and a series of data protection problems. It included information related to problems with the Autopilot system and Tesla’s struggles to bring the Cybertruck to the market.
His leak also revealed that private information about Tesla customers and employees was publicly available, as were contracts with business partners, design plans, and confidential presentations.
Read: Fired Tesla Technician Turns From Company Hero To Enemy Number 1
Six days after the data was made public, Tesla’s reaction was swift and aggressive. At the company’s behest, Norwegian authorities raided Krupski’s apartment, seizing his computer, phone, and storage devices. Tesla quickly branded him a “disgruntled former employee.” In retaliation, Krupski filed a lawsuit against Tesla, seeking compensation for lost wages, emotional distress, and the unlawful treatment he endured.
Court Rules in Favor of the Whistleblower
Earlier this week, the Norwegian District Court of Buskerud ruled in favor of the whistleblower, the Handelsblatt reports, confirming that he is entitled to compensation, although he won’t get the full €250,000 (~$262,000) that he had been seeking.
“A Victory for Transparency”
Despite the partial financial settlement, Krupski viewed the court’s ruling as a personal victory. “Tesla made my life hell after I raised concerns about serious safety issues within the company,” he said. “I tried to act in good faith, but instead I was faced with retaliation, demotion and isolation. Even if I didn’t get everything I had hoped for, this decision is an important victory for transparency. Now I want to concentrate on looking forward and rebuilding my life.”
Before becoming Tesla’s enemy number one, Krupski had been recognized by none other than Elon Musk. In March 2019, while helping deliver new vehicles to customers in Norway, Krupski saved the day by disconnecting a modified charger from under a Model 3 that had caught fire, preventing a potentially devastating blaze.
Musk emailed him directly saying “Congratulations for saving the day,” but when Krupski replied back expressing safety concerns, he started to draw the ire of his superiors, who claimed he no longer had a future at the automaker. He was fired in 2022 over accusations of poor time management and of being a bad influence on other staff, but also for taking photographs on-site, which is against company policy.
