Tesla Inc. has resolved the claims of six plaintiffs in a class-action lawsuit filed against the company in California. The lawsuit was initially filed in December 2016 in the United States District Court for the Central District of California. According to the complaint, the Tesla Model X owner slowly pulled into his driveway and waited for his garage door to open when his vehicle suddenly sped forward and crashed through the interior wall of his garage before coming to rest in his living room. Both the driver and his passenger sustained injuries. The complaint asserts numerous causes of action against the manufacturer, including products liability claims, breach of warranty claims, negligence, and violations of several consumer protection laws. The lead plaintiff also sought class action status citing several other instances of sudden acceleration in Tesla’s vehicles.
Six additional Tesla Model S and Model X owners later joined the lawsuit, claiming that their vehicles suddenly accelerated resulting in a collision. Tesla claims that the alleged incidents were due to drivers mistakenly using the wrong pedal. The manufacturer also moved to dismiss nearly half of the proposed class on grounds that the warranty claims were baseless because they dealt with a design defect that was not covered by a warranty. In a recent court filing, lawyers for Tesla and the plaintiffs announced that these six plaintiffs were dropping their claims. The original plaintiff and his son will pursue individual claims and no claims on behalf of the other Tesla owners. The parties did not reveal the terms of any settlement.
If you or someone you know has been injured as a result of a product defect, contact an attorney at Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner by calling 713-231-9360 or toll free at 1-800-870-958.