Elon Musk’s attempt to reinstate his unprecedented $56 billion compensation package from Tesla has been rejected by a Delaware court. Chancellor Kathaleen McCormick upheld her January decision voiding the 2018 pay plan, describing its approval process as “deeply flawed” and heavily influenced by Musk’s control over Tesla’s board.

The ruling comes despite a June shareholder vote where Tesla sought to ratify the package. The judge dismissed the relevance of the vote, stating it could not retroactively validate the plan or override her prior decision. “Were the court to condone the practice of allowing defeated parties to create new facts for the purpose of revising judgments, lawsuits would become interminable,” McCormick wrote.

In addition to rejecting Tesla’s appeal, the court approved $345 million in attorney fees for lawyers who successfully argued on behalf of shareholders to void the pay plan. Tesla plans to appeal the decision, while Musk called the ruling “absolute corruption” in a post on X, the platform he owns.

Despite the setback, Musk’s wealth has grown substantially, with Tesla shares surging 42% in the weeks following President Donald Trump’s election victory. Optimism over pro-business policies under the incoming administration has added over $43 billion to Musk’s net worth, even without the contested pay package.