Ex-Tesla Workers’ New Company Accused of Breaching Trade Secrets

Former Tesla Inc. employees who founded their own circuit development companymisappropriated trade secrets relating to batteries once they were shared under a mutual non-disclosure agreement between CelLink Corp.and Tesla, a new lawsuit says.

Manaflex LLC, founded by former Tesla employee Robert Lane, was named as the sole defendant in CelLink’s lawsuit, filed in the US District Court for the Northern District of California on Aug. 18. CelLink also says Manaflex infringed on its patents.

CelLink alleged that Lane and another Manaflex executive “used and abused their position of trust” as then-Tesla workers to “steal CelLink’s trade secrets, copy CelLink’s technology, ...