Matthews International Says Arbitrator Rules in Its Favor in Tesla Lawsuit

By Denny Jacob

Matthews International said an arbitrator ruled in its favor in a lawsuit between the company and electric vehicle maker Tesla.

The electric vehicle battery supplier said the arbitrator acknowledged its background that predates Tesla and that it has the right to sell its solutions to customers other than the electric vehicle maker.

Matthews International said it intends to immediately resume marketing, selling and delivering its dry-electrode-battery products to other customers.

Tesla's lawsuit against Matthews International was disclosed in June. It alleged that Matthews International breached its contract and improperly filed patent applications incorporating Tesla's trade secrets without the electric-vehicle maker's consent. In 2019, Tesla selected Matthews to be one of its suppliers for equipment that it used to refine its dry-electrode-battery manufacturing and put it into mass production.

Write to Denny Jacob at denny.jacob@wsj.com