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Australian Judge Slams Tesla in Major Class Action Lawsuit
An Australian Federal Court judge has criticised Tesla during a class action hearing involving around 10,000 Australian drivers. The lawsuit accuses the electric vehicle company of misleading consumers about phantom braking, battery range, and self-driving technology capabilities. Justice Tom Thawley questioned whether Tesla was taking the discovery process seriously after lawyers claimed only 2,000 documents had been produced during an eight-month review period. Tesla said it had manually reviewed more than 100,000 documents while protecting confidential information. The court has ordered the company to complete the discovery process by July 31.
During a class action hearing, an Australian judge criticised Tesla for producing only about 2,000 documents over an eight-month discovery process regarding allegations around phantom braking, battery distance and self-driving tech.
Key Highlights
- An Australian judge criticised the way Tesla is handling a class action case
- The Action is for approximately 10,000 Australian Tesla drivers
- Refuting phantom braking, false advertising on self-driving
- Tesla only allegedly turned over 2,000 docs in eight months
- The court cautioned Tesla or face sanctions if delays persisted
Australian Judge Slammed Tesla’s Way of Handling Class Action Case
An Australian Federal Court judge berated Tesla on Friday during a pre-trial hearing related to a potentially large class action lawsuit involving roughly 10,000 Australian Tesla owners. Justice Tom Thawley expressed concern that the Elon Musk company was not taking the discovery process seriously, after lawyers said Tesla had churned out just 2,000 documents in over eight months.
Brisbane law firm JGA Saddler is responsible for the lawsuit, which alleges that they believe Tesla misled consumers regarding phantom braking, battery performance and self-driving capabilities.
Why the Court Criticised Tesla
Attorneys for Tesla owners said they hadn’t received adequate technical information to fully prepare experts involved in the case. The legal team said they needed engineering records, software information and complaints data from outside of Australia in order to fully evaluate the allegations.
Justice Thawley called Tesla’s response “gobsmacking”, saying the company could be in for a really bad time if it failed to comply with discovery obligations. Tesla countered by saying it had waded through approximately 100,000 documents already and would have to sort through tens of thousands more while also citing issues with keeping sensitive information private.
Impact and Expert Take
The move follows increasing scrutiny around the world over Tesla’s autonomous driving systems and its claims about vehicle safety. Legal experts say class actions can chew up many months because of discovery disputes, particularly when cases focus on complicated software and engineering data. The court has now provided Tesla until July 31 to conduct discovery, with another hearing set for September 1.
FAQs
- What is the Tesla class action case about?
The lawsuit also makes allegations over phantom braking, battery range, and self-driving claims.
- Why did the judge criticise Tesla?
A judge in a ruling said Tesla did not provide enough documents during the discovery.
- What did Tesla say in response?
Tesla stated it had milled through about 100,000 documents and was arguing to shield confidential matters.
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