Tesla CEO Elon Musk will not be forced to appear in court to testify in the manslaughter case involving a Tesla Model S. After a judge had initially forced the South African billionaire to appear in court, A Florida State Court of Appeals overturned the ruling, with the unanimous panel of the West Palm Beach district saying that Musk, as a corporate leader, could be protected from a deposition.
Elon Musk will not go to trial
The defense lawyers had called Elon Musk to testify in the case because after the accident, in which a teenager and the driver of a Tesla Model S lost their lives, the number one American brand specializing in electric cars had phoned his father of the victim who was behind the wheel making some statements regarding the incident.
Tesla defends itself without Musk
The appeals court found that Musk did not have “unique, personal knowledge” to justify his testimony. The jury thus overturned the previous ruling that Musk could be questioned. The company and its lawyers declined to comment on the Court of Appeal's decision, stressing that Musk is not a party to the case.
The limiter problem
According to court documents, the 18-year-old driver of the Tesla involved in the accident was speeding at 180 km/h on a curve with a 40 km/h limit when he lost control and his car crashed into two walls of concrete. The driver's parents said a Tesla technician without their knowledge disabled speed-limiting software that prohibited the car from traveling at speeds higher than 85 mph, court documents show. In previous hearings, Musk had already submitted his testimony in which he stated that he did not remember having discussed this technology with the victim's father while the man claimed that Musk himself told him that “maybe we shouldn't have removed the limiter” and that Tesla would review its policies. Tesla immediately denied any type of wrongdoing, pointing the finger at whoever was behind the wheel: the American electric car brand claimed that the “reckless” driving of the vehicle by the driver caused the accident “with or without a limiter of speed”.
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