Tesla hit with $60 million judgment in Marion County crash involving company employee
Tesla Motors, Inc. has been ordered to pay a $42 million court judgment to the estate of an Avon man seriously injured when his motorcycle was struck on Rockville Road in 2017 by a truck driven by an employee of the Texas-based car maker.
The settlement was handed down Wednesday in Marion Superior Court following a jury trial. An attorney for the victim's family called it "one of the largest vehicle collision verdicts in state history."
The lawsuit was filed in 2017 by the estate of Christopher Dugan of Avon against Tesla and Kyle Kaszuba, a service manager of the car maker who was driving a Ford pickup truck that struck Dugan's motorcycle as it pulled out of a gas station. The lawsuit alleged Kaszuba of Danville was careless and negligent, and that he was operating the truck in the scope of his job with Tesla.
The jury actually determined the total amount of damages against Tesla, without regard for fault, was $60.6 million. However, jurors assigned 30% of the blame to Dugan — reducing the amount Tesla owes the estate to $42,481,243.
“Our family is forever grateful for the jury, who did what Tesla and Elon Musk refused to do for seven years — deliver justice to Chris," Dugan's mother, Anna Marie, said in a statement. "We cannot thank our legal team enough for never giving up and fighting for Chris, despite Tesla’s relentless refusals to accept any responsibility.”
Dugan, 37 at the time, worked as an engineer and was the father of a 7-year-old daughter, according to the family statement. He sustained traumatic injuries, including a skull fracture, brain injury and multiple bone fractures.
"He had to relearn how to walk and talk," the statement said. "Today, Chris continues to suffer from severe cognitive dysfunction and the inability to fully communicate. He is unable to manage his finances, care for himself or his daughter, work, or enjoy life in any meaningful way."
Dugan's estate was represented by Indianapolis attorney Lee Christie and Nicholas Rowley of Trial Lawyers for Justice, based in Iowa.
“Tesla’s ethos can be defined by utter disregard for accountability,” Rowley, co-founder of Trial Lawyers for Justice, said in the statement. “Refusing to accept responsibility can result in big consequences. Tesla’s employee was in a rush that morning trying to shave off time to get to the service center and refused to wait in line with other vehicles who were appropriately making a left-hand turn. He cut out of line and did something very dangerous showing a complete disregard for the safety of others on the road. A young father’s life was permanently destroyed. This verdict cannot repair the harm caused, but it will help provide Chris Dugan with the lifetime of care and support he needs.”
Christie said in the statement that "Dugan has a long journey ahead of him due to his brain injury. This verdict will not restore this doting father, but it will help ensure this family has the resources they need in the absence of its primary caregiver.”
Indianapolis attorney Anthony Holton, who represented Tesla in the case, declined to comment. Tesla did not immediately respond to an email request for comment from IndyStar.
Rowley expects the legal fight to continue despite the jury ruling.
"Tesla will likely not pay this jury verdict because Elon Musk has been personally making the decisions," the attorney said in the statement. "Musk and Tesla made the decision not to accept responsibility up to this point in time.”
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Marion County jury hands down $60 million crash judgment against Tesla
