Tesla CEO Elon Musk won’t be forced to testify in a wrongful death lawsuit involving one of his electric vehicles.
On Wednesday, a three-judge panel in the 4th District Court of Appeal in West Palm Beach, Florida, unanimously overturned a lower court ruling that Mr. Musk had to testify. The court found that he had no “unique” information that would necessitate his testimony.
The plaintiffs in the case disagree. The case involves an 18-year-old Tesla driver killed in 2018 after he lost control of the car at 116 mph. According to the driver’s parents, a Tesla technician removed speed-limiting software without their consent, letting the car go above 85 mph.
According to the driver’s father, Mr. Musk confirmed to him in a call he made after the driver’s death that the software had been removed. Tesla has denied the father’s claims and has said the driver’s “reckless” behavior was the main cause of the crash.
The ruling is a victory for Tesla, which is under investigation for numerous crashes where its self-driving technology was used. The company could face millions in fines over accusations the technology was not safe.
• Vaughn Cockayne can be reached at vcockayne@washingtontimes.com.
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