Hyperloop One settles lawsuit brought by BamBrogan and three other employees
19 Nov 2016
Hyperloop One, the startup which is working on a futuristic tubular form of high speed transportation, has settled a lawsuit brought by its former chief technology officer and three other employees.
A letter from Hyperloop One CEO Rob Lloyd to staff yesterday, which was obtained by USA Today, did not provide settlement terms but instead urged employees to "focus on achieving our Q1 milestones and show the world the first working Hyperloop One system to the shape the future of transportation."
Justin Berger, attorney for former CTO Brogan BamBrogan and Hyperloop One staffers David Pendergast, William Mulholland and Knut Sauer, told USA Today that the quartet was "pleased ... and look forward to moving on with their future plans.''
In a statement, the four men said, "We are planning to build rad (stuff) with rad people, starting with our take on hyperloop. More to come in the near future.''
The hyperloop, first mooted by Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk in a white paper a few years ago, envisages a series of finely machined tubes running for hundreds of miles. The tubes would allow vacuum-propelled pods to carry people and cargo at speeds up to 800 mph, cutting the time to travel from Los Angeles to San Francisco to 30-minutes flat as against the six hour drive.
The terms of the settlement of the lawsuit brought by the ex-employees over wrongful termination were not disclosed. The employees had been seeking a public apology, reinstatement at the company and lost pay and stock options, among other damages.
Brogan BamBrogan, who was chief technology officer; William Mulholland, who was finance vice president; Knut Sauer, who was business development vice president; and David Pendergast, who was assistant general counsel, had brought the suit against the company in July (See: Hyperloop One co-founder sues firm, over alleged harassment).
The defendants named in the lawsuit included co-founder and executive chairman Shervin Pishevar and fellow investor Joe Lonsdale.