Posted on 07/20/2022 12:51:30 PM PDT by BenLurkin
Jurors found Tesla negligent for deactivating a speed limiter that the Rileys had installed to keep their son Barrett from driving too fast.
Barrett Riley was driving at 116 miles per hour (187 kph), on a curve with a posted 25 mph speed limit, on May 8, 2018, when he lost control of his 2014 Model S while trying to pass another vehicle... Another passenger also died while a third occupant survived.
Though jurors found Barrett Riley 90% responsible and his father 9% responsible for the crash, it awarded James Riley $4.5 million and Jenny Riley $6 million.
Riley's parents said the crash occurred after Tesla, without their knowledge, disabled a device capping the Model S's speed at 85 mph (137 kph).
They also said a design defect in Tesla's lithium-ion battery cells and battery pack contributed to the fire.
Tesla said Barrett Riley's recklessness caused the crash, and his parents should have taken away the keys after his March 2018 speeding ticket for driving at 112 mph (180 kph). It also said Barrett Riley tricked its technician into disabling the speed limiter, that the battery design was not defective, and that the design was "overwhelmed" by crash forces.
(Excerpt) Read more at autoblog.com ...
Imagine if they had been 100% liable...... /s
I don’t blame the juries. It’s the greedy plaintiff lawyers who are the problem.
Hmmm, doing 116 in a 25.
Of course a parent who allows their child to drive with a previous speeding ticket at over 100 mph is just so typical . /s
The family, and no one else, should be paying their victims. Tesla and the mechanic have no culpability in this case, as are not the mommy and daddy of their customers. The son would’ve probably found someone to disable the device if the mechanic had declined.
It takes a stupid jury to make the finding.
Responsibility?
I think that article has it wrong. 1% of what number is $10.5 million? I don’t see anything about a Billion dollar judgement.
Also, this will likely be appealed by Tesla.
And the passenger that this punk killed will be in line to collect some of that money from the parents?
Lots of small print through which to wade.
How much insurance did they have on the kid?
I know what you are saying and have some degree of agreement but this is a raid on deep pockets and the jury members are culpable in it! As a fact, the tort lawyers will be permitted to eliminate any juror candidate who can add to 10 without using their fingers in the 'voir dire' process. Then they use the emotions as guided by their psychology advisors to up the financial awards.
Almost certainly, if the ruling stands, the award will be reduced by the judge or, if appealed, be remanded for a reduced charging. The problem derives from the fact that the judicial system has wandered far from the original US Constitution requirement of a 'jury of peers' to the current 'jury of unwilling but unthinking'!
“But the apportionment of responsibility means Tesla will only be liable for $105,000, Curt Miner, an attorney representing James Riley, told the South Florida SunSentinel.”
Sounds like the kid over-riding the "parental control" rather than Tesla maliciously interfering with "parental control".
While trying to pass someone, on a curve. Barret Riley should not have been driving a vehicle. "Barret Riley" - sounds like a spoiled rich kid's name.
Barret Riley III, can blame this on affluence.
Sounds like he can blame this on affluenza.
“parents should have taken away the keys after his March 2018 speeding ticket for driving at 112 mph”
If the parents had knowledge of that “ticket”, they had constructive notice that the speed-limiter was not functioning or had been circumvented. They are responsible for their son’s speeding after that. I bet the ambulance chaser begged, grovelled, and cajoled the jury to hold Tesla even 1% responsible, knowing deep-pockets laws would force Tesla to pay when the deadbeats didn’t/couldn’t.
Huh? The juries could put the greedy plaintiff lawyers out of business anytime they want to.
Tesla is probably joint and several liable.
“His father was 9% responsible, yet they awarded the him $4.5 million? “
Jury held the kid 90% responsible, so the kid has to pay.
Whoops...
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