Brett Schreiber, founding partner of Singleton Schreiber in San Diego, was recently featured by Law 360 in their article, "Tesla Faces Fraud Claims Over Fatal Autopilot Crash," which was published on March 27th, 2025.
The article covers how Judge Rebekah Everson of Alameda County Superior Court ruled that a 2019 wrongful death lawsuit against Tesla, Inc. could proceed to a jury where they will decide whether Tesla misrepresented its Autopilot feature that resulted in the death of 15-year-old Jovani Maldonado and if the company and Tesla CEO Elon Musk would face punitive damages.
Law 360 also summarizes Judge Evenson's rationale in allowing the lawsuit to proceed and rejecting Tesla's claims that its Eighth Amendment rights were violated, noting that the claims were not filed late as the statute of limitations was tolled until Jovani would have turned 18 in April 2022; that the family's filing of the wrongful death suit in February 2021 and a survival action on December 19th, 2022, fell within the allowable timeframe; and that misrepresentation claims such as Autopilot being better than a human driver could be based on harm caused by third-party reliance on false statements.
The article also summarizes the background of the case, noting that driver Romeo Cruz Yalung had reportedly driven his vehicle with the Autopilot engaged and his hands off the wheel when it collided with Jovani Maldonado's vehicle; the firms representing the parties; and that Tesla has not responded to comments immediately after Thursday's ruling.
"The court's decision is a significant step toward justice, finding sufficient evidence for a jury to determine whether Tesla and [CEO] Elon Musk's misrepresentations about Autopilot capabilities led to the crash that took Jovani's life and whether punitive damages should be imposed for this fraudulent conduct. We look forward to presenting evidence at trial that will demonstrate to the jury the merits of our claims and hold Tesla accountable for this tragedy," said Mr. Schreiber in a statement.
The case is Escudero et al. vs. Tesla Inc. et al., case number RG21090128, in the Superior Court of California, County of Alameda.
