Tesla Inc. on Wednesday denied a report that it has parted ways with the law department leader heading an internal inquiry into purchase orders at the electric vehicle maker.
David Searle left his position as Tesla’s head of legal less than a month ago, three people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg. But Tesla denied the report in a tweet later Wednesday afternoon and Searle's LinkedIn profile showed he is still at Tesla. It was unclear if Searle was reassigned within the company.
"This Bloomberg article is false," Tesla said in a tweet. "David Searle has not left Tesla."
Dinna Eskin, a deputy general counsel at the company, has taken over the role, Bloomberg reported.
Searle had been overseeing an internal investigation involving Omead Afshar, a key lieutenant to Tesla’s top executive, Elon Musk, who was tasked with navigating a tangled global supply chain to obtain critical construction materials. The probe over a hard-to-get glass order has led to some Tesla employees being fired, according to Bloomberg.