Since this is a bit of a touchy subject, let this be clear — we at EVwire don’t take sides here, instead we are here to observe and bring you all the publicly available breadcrumbs around this saga.
EVwire brief: Lucid's German subsidiary has filed a motion for a preliminary injunction against EV blog eletric-vehicles (EV) and its founder Cláudio Afonso, asking a German court to stop the publication and dissemination of reports that Lucid was considering a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing or a take-private transaction.
Per the injunction, noncompliance carries a penalty of up to EUR 250,000 per violation, or imprisonment for up to six months.
To those unfamiliar with the “preliminary injunction” term, it is a temporary court order made before or during a trial. It tells a person or business to stop doing a specific action while a lawsuit is still active. Its main goal is to keep things fair and unchanged until the judge makes a final decision.
The motion was filed Aug. 14 by Lucid Germany GmbH with the Munich Regional Court I, against Cláudio Afonso and CARBA Investments, the company that owns and publishes EV. Lucid is seeking to prohibit four specific claims related to reports published by the outlet in July and August.
Lucid is represented by international litigation firm Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan. The 36-page filing, which you can read in full at the bottom of this article, includes dozens of exhibits and sworn affidavits from CEO Silvio Napoli and Chief Supply Chain Officer Neil Marsons. The estimated amount in dispute is EUR 500,000.
As per Lucid Chief Communications Officer Nick Twork on X:
"Lucid welcomes accurate, fact-based reporting, however we will not stand for factual inaccuracies and misrepresentation about our company or products.
“Despite having repeatedly corrected the record, eletric-vehicles has persisted in their inaccurate reporting, leaving us no choice but to file suit against the parent company and owner in order to protect our company and our investors."
What the complaint from Lucid alleges
The complaint names two respondents: Afonso personally and his company CARBA Investments, LDA, the Portuguese entity that publishes eletric-vehicles.com (EV).
Lucid's lawyers are asking the court to order both respondents to stop asserting four specific claims:
that Lucid weighs a take-private transaction,
that Lucid weighs Chapter 11 bankruptcy,
that Lucid engaged AlixPartners to evaluate a Chapter 11 filing, and
that Lucid engaged AlixPartners to evaluate whether Lucid should be taken private.
Noncompliance carries a penalty of up to EUR 250,000 per violation, or imprisonment for up to six months.
From the filing:
"The allegations made by the respondents in this regard are untrue. They paint an inaccurate picture of the petitioner to its customers and business partners, as well as to the interested public, and are likely to significantly harm its business reputation and economic interests."
We checked, and the article is still up on the eletric-vehicles.com site as of today with an unchanged headline (checked on 17th August):
Lucid’s evidence
Lucid attached two sworn affidavits.
CEO Napoli's affidavit confirms that since he took the role,
"Lucid Group, Inc. has not considered and is not considering filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection or a take-private transaction."
He also confirms AlixPartners "was not engaged by Lucid Group, Inc. to evaluate, analyze, or present these alternatives to management or the Board."
Chief Supply Chain Officer Neil Marsons, who led fee negotiations with AlixPartners when the firm was engaged on April 17, backs this up. His affidavit states AlixPartners was not asked to examine whether Lucid should pursue a take-private transaction or file for Chapter 11, "either at the time of the engagement or at any later time."
AlixPartners itself has publicly confirmed that its involvement "did not extend to a Chapter 11 filing that was allegedly under consideration, a take-private transaction, or any related advisory services."
Lucid CEO Silvio Napoli, who submitted a sworn affidavit as part of the filing.
EV's position
The dispute centers on a July 14 blog post headlined Exclusive: Lucid Weighs Going Private or Chapter 11 as Adviser Reports to Board. The post cited anonymous sources claiming AlixPartners had been asked to weigh scenarios including a take-private or Chapter 11 filing.
Three more posts followed the same day and on August 5, each reiterating the claims. After receiving Lucid's cease-and-desist letter, Afonso rejected the company's position and said they stand by what they reported:
"We do not accept that the articles are false. As published, the reporting was attributed to people familiar with the matter, described the options as scenarios the adviser had been asked to weigh, and expressly stated that no decision had been taken by the Board. [...] EV stands by its sourcing and its qualified, attributed reporting."
We have not seen EV nor Afonso provide any new commentary on the topic after the injunction from Lucid became public.
The LCID stock fallout and rebound
The Lucid Air and Gravity lineup.
Lucid's General Counsel Brian Tomkiel described the market impact in the company's cease-and-desist letter, which is attached as an exhibit:
"Following its publication, Lucid's stock fell from a $5.51 open to as low as $2.37, a decline of more than 55%, triggering multiple volatility trading halts. Reuters, Bloomberg, and CNBC each reported the decline as occurring immediately after your report; Forbes went further, reporting that your report itself prompted the crash."
The filing notes that German business partners raised concerns about Lucid's solvency after reading the blog posts. Handelsblatt, Germany's largest daily business newspaper, also picked up the story the same day.
LCID stock activity following EV’s report.
While Lucid’s stock price bounced back significantly after the report, the so-called “Afonso valley” is still visible, as the stock went lower than $/share at some points in trading.
a screenshot from EVwire’s EV Stock Tracker on 17th of August
Context:
The injunction motion is the latest escalation in a dispute that's played out over the past month. EVwire covered Lucid's initial denial of the bankruptcy and going-private claims on the same day the original blog post was published, when Nick Twork called the reports "completely false."
The following day, CEO Napoli sent a cease-and-desist letter to the blog and doubled down on the denial.
Lucid formally warned the respondents via counsel on August 12, attaching penalty-backed cease-and-desist undertakings. The respondents' attorney rejected them by email on August 14. Lucid filed the motion the same day.
The case was filed by Lucid Germany GmbH, the subsidiary responsible for Lucid's German sales contracts and dealer relationships. The filing argues German courts have jurisdiction because the blog posts directly affected the Munich-based subsidiary's business relationships and creditworthiness.
EVwire will keep an eye on this subject and will report back if there are new developments in this saga.
Here’s Lucid’s preliminary injunction:
Source: Nick Twork, on X, Lucid Germany GmbH v. Afonso et al., Motion for Preliminary Injunction (convenience translation), Munich Regional Court I, filed August 14, 2026
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