Tesla Inc (TSLA. O) CEO Elon Musk and his business were found not guilty by a U.S. jury on Friday for misleading investors when Musk tweeted in 2018 that he had "funding secured" to take the electric vehicle firm private.

Plaintiffs sought billions in damages, and the judgement was considered as significant for Musk, who often uses Twitter to express his opinions.

After almost two hours of deliberation, the jury returned with a unanimous judgement.

Musk was not in court when the judgement was given, but he quickly tweeted that he was "truly grateful" for the jury's decision.

"Thank heavens, the people's wisdom has triumphed," he remarked.

"We are upset with the ruling and are contemplating further moves," said Nicholas Porritt, a lawyer representing the investors.

Following the ruling, Tesla shares increased 1.6% in after-hours trade.

"A dark chapter in Musk and Tesla's history has finally come to an end," Wedbush analyst Dan Ives said. According to Ives, some Tesla investors worried Musk would have to sell additional Tesla shares if he failed.

The world's second-richest individual has already caused legal and regulatory issues due to his sometimes rash usage of Twitter, the social media firm he purchased for $44 billion in October.

Minor Myers, a professor of corporate law at the University of Connecticut who earlier praised the investors' argument, termed the conclusion "astonishing."

The anti-fraud statute in the United States "has long been believed to be this wonderful bastion against misstatements and lies," he added. "This result makes you ask whether it is up to the job in contemporary markets," he said, adding that Musk was likely to "double down" on his communication strategies in the aftermath of the judgement.

Musk's focus has recently been split between Tesla, his rocket business SpaceX, and now Twitter. Tesla investors have voiced worry that Tesla's emphasis has shifted too far away from the social media firm.

'BAD WORD SELECTION'

Tesla shareholders alleged Musk deceived them on Aug. 7, 2018, when he tweeted that he was contemplating taking the business private for $420 per share, a 23% premium to the previous day's closing, and that he had "financing secured."

They claim Musk lied later that day when he tweeted, "Investor support is confirmed."

The stock price rose after the tweets, only to fall again after August 17, 2018, when it became evident that the takeover would not take place.

During closing arguments, Porritt said that the billionaire CEO is not above the law and should be held accountable for his comments.

"Ultimately, this lawsuit is about whether the regulations that apply to everyone else should also apply to Elon Musk," he said.

Musk's lawyer, Alex Spiro, said that Musk's "funding secured" tweet was "technically incorrect," but that investors were primarily interested in the fact that Musk was exploring a takeover.

"The whole case is founded on poor word choice," he said. "Who cares about poor wording?"

"Just because it's a terrible tweet doesn't mean it's a fraud," Spiro said during closing arguments.

An economist recruited by the shareholders estimated that investment losses may reach $12 billion.

During the three-week trial, Musk spoke for over nine hours, assuring jurors that he thought the tweets were true. He claimed to have secured the required funds, including a verbal promise from Saudi Arabia's national wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund. Musk said that the fund eventually reneged on its agreement.

Musk subsequently testified that he thought he could have sold enough SpaceX stock to finance a buyout, and that he "felt financing was secured" with SpaceX stock alone.

Musk stated that he sent the tweets to put small shareholders on the same level as major investors who were aware of the arrangement. He did, however, admit that he lacked official pledges from the Saudi fund and other possible donors.

The judgement is another win for Musk and his lawyer Spiro, who won a defamation case against the billionaire in 2019 after he called a cave explorer a "Pedro man" in a tweet.