The already explosive Hyperloop One lawsuit just got weirder.
According to a countersuit filed on Tuesday, Hyperloop One co-founder Brogan BamBrogan appears to have purchased the domain names hyperlooptoo.com, hyperlooptwo.com and hyperloop2.com in mid-May. The purchases were part of an effort to start a competing venture to Hyperloop One, according to the suit.
While hyperlooptoo.com and hyperloop2.com are inactive, hyperlooptwo.com displays a character in animated GIF form from the Cartoon Network TV show "Adventure Time." The character is described as a "magical dog" named Jake, and the image shows it drinking a cup of coffee.
Simon & Garfunkel's "The Sound of Silence" is playing in the background.
"It's true that BamBrogan purchased the hyperlooptoo.com domain, but he did this as a joke at the prompting of a coworker and never intended to use it for business," said Justin Berger, BamBrogan's attorney, in an e-mailed statement. "He did not register hyperlooptwo.com and does not know who did."
Hyperloop One, an ultra high-speed transport system, was sued on July 12, by co-founder BamBrogan and three other former employees for misuse of funds and breach of fiduciary duties, among other claims.
Hyperloop One filed its countersuit on Tuesday in the Superior Court of California, Los Angeles County, suing the plaintiffs for at least $250 million.
In a response to BamBrogan's statement, a Hyperloop spokesperson said BamBrogan was recruiting employees to join a "competing company and promising salaries and investment." Contrary to the view expressed by the plaintiff, "they did not think this was a joke," the statement said.
An earlier version of this story had an incorrect name as the plaintiffs' attorney.
CNBC's Ari Levy contributed to this report.