From Nasdaq:

Elon Musk has been freed from testifying in a wrongful death lawsuit relating to a fatal 2018 crash in a Tesla car. The accident, in which a teenager was killed, led to assertions that a Tesla technician had disabled speed limiting software, which would have stopped the car from reaching 116 mph in a 25 mph zone. Musk had provided prior sworn testimony about his involvement. The lawsuit, Tesla Inc v. Edgar Monserratt, is ongoing.

In Tesla’s lawsuit, Florida’s 4th District Court of Appeal overturned a previous judge’s decision that Musk should be subjected to deposition. The court ruled that Musk, as a corporate executive, could escape being deposed. This was a unanimous decision by a three-judge panel, which ruled Musk had no “unique, personal knowledge” to justify forcing him to testify.

Attorneys for the teenager killed in the crash had sought Musk’s testimony, arguing that he should be deposed due to his role as a corporate official and to clarify his contact with a speed-limiting technology at issue in the case. Plaintiffs elsewhere generally face significant barriers in questioning high-level corporate officials. Tesla and its attorney did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Similarly, attorneys for the plaintiffs did not initially respond to similar requests for comment. The driver’s parents have alleged that a Tesla technician secretly disabled a speed limiting software that would prevent the car from speeding. They have also stated that Musk told them, “perhaps we should not have removed the limiter” and that Tesla would review its policies.

The appeals court referenced Musk’s sworn testimony that he did not remember discussing the speed limiting technology disabled in his call with the driver’s father. Jonathan Gdanski, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, previously claimed in an interview that Musk should be deposed as he had put himself forward as a witness. Tesla is engulfed in several legal battles, including another case where it was accused of blaming drivers for vehicle part failures. Tesla also won another lawsuit involving an autopilot feature despite a fatal crash. This is not a party to the latest lawsuit.

The case remains unresolved and is identified as Tesla Inc v. Edgar Monserratt. The issue at the root of the lawsuit is the tragic accident which occurred when a Tesla car, traveling at 116 mph in a 25 mph area, lost control and hit concrete walls. To follow more updates on the lawsuit, you can read the article online. This was reported by Mike Scarcella from Reuters. For any queries, you can reach Mike Scarcella via email at [email protected].



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