Mashable: Musk earlier settled a case against the SEC by committing to pay a $20 million fine.

Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, has consented to pay $10,000 and one cent to settle a lawsuit filed by electric car company critic Randeep Hothi. Hothi accused Musk of defaming him in an email to Aaron Greenspan, who heads the PlainSite legal information initiative, in which Musk implied that Hothi had been violent towards Tesla employees.

As per Insider, in 2020, Hothi, who had photographed Tesla vehicles at their facility and had been in conflict with the company, submitted the lawsuit. He had vehemently denied Tesla's claim that his vehicle had struck a Tesla employee and accused Musk of making deceptive and damaging statements.

Hothi stated, in response to the settlement, that the case was about taking a stand, not pursuing fame or money. He added that the settlement makes him feel vindicated.

Musk previously tweeted that he would "never surrender/settle an unjust case against us." In this instance, it appears that he has altered his mind.

The settlement is considered a victory for Hothi, who refused to back down despite Musk's public statements regarding the case. Musk has been involved in legal conflicts previously. In 2018, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) sued him for making fraudulent and misleading statements about taking Tesla private on Twitter. Musk settled the case by committing to pay a $20 million fine and resigning as chairman of Tesla's board for a minimum of three years.

In 2019, Musk was also sued by British cave explorer Vernon Unsworth, who had assisted in the rescue of a group of boys from a flooded cave in Thailand. Musk referred to Unsworth as a "pedo guy" on Twitter after Unsworth criticized Musk's proposal to construct a mini-submarine to assist in rescue efforts. Unsworth's defamation suit against Musk was ultimately settled out of court.

Musk remains a controversial figure who is widely admired for his entrepreneurial zeal and innovation despite these legal disputes. Despite being the figure behind a number of innovative endeavors, including SpaceX, his outspoken and occasionally confrontational personality has made him a magnet for criticism and controversy.