‘Rogue company’: Tesla sues Chinese man for defamation. Here's what he had said

If you are unhappy with your car and you decide to badmouth the company on social media, there is a slim chance that you can be hit with a defamation suit. Han Chao, a Chinese national, found this the hard way when Tesla China initiated legal proceedings against him for calling it a ‘rogue company’, among some other equally scathing remarks.

Reports suggest Chao, an owner of a Tesla Model S, took to Chinese social media channels to state that Tesla China has filed a defamation case against him for his remarks against the company. He had previously used social media platforms to lash out against the American EV giant and is learnt to have used terms like ‘rubbish Tesla’ and ‘such a quack’ as well.

As per local reports citing Chao's initial attacks, he bought a Tesla Model S in June of 2019 but that the car broke down three months later and while he was driving it. Chao further claims that he asked Tesla to replace the vehicle but was told that only the defective parts would be changed. He would then take the car to a non-Tesla workshop where he was told that the EV's rear-side panels had been cut and welded, which means the EV may have previously had an accident.

It was then that Chao sued Tesla China for sales fraud and an initial ruling ordered the company to pay him 1 million yuan. While it is not known if the compensation has been paid, Tesla China has frowned upon Chao's outburst on social media. According to The South China Morning Post, Tesla China issued a statement regarding this. “Han has been spreading his words through a series of online and offline actions….leading to the public to have a negative impression of Tesla, causing damage to the company's reputation," this statement reportedly reads.

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