Zinger Key Points
- One prospective juror is an auto-service technician looking to join a local Tesla service center
- Another prospective juror says he joined Twitter after Musk offered his take-private bid
- Opening arguments of trial get underway Thursday
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Electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla, Inc. TSLA is facing a case in a Florida court over a fatal crash involving one of its vehicles. Ahead of the trial, it has come to light that prospective jurors were huge Elon Musk fans, Bloomberg reported.
What Happened: The report noted that one of the prospective jurors, a middle-aged woman, said she was a big fan of Musk in response to a query by the judge about their opinions about EVs.
Two other prospective male jurors also said they were fans of the Tesla CEO, with one — an auto-service technician looking to join a local Tesla service center — saying that Musk has done a lot to improve technology.
Three others said they follow Musk on Twitter. One of them, a firefighter, who was later picked to be on the jury, said he set up his Twitter, Inc. TWTR account after Musk offered to take the company private.
When the plaintiff's attorney asked if any prospective juror hated Musk, there was no reply. However, when asked if they don't care to love or hate Musk, most raised their hands, Bloomberg reported.
Tesla's attorney reportedly pointed out that there was no use discussing Musk as the case is not about him.
Related Link: Tesla's China Deliveries Climb To Record In June Amid Post-COVID Recovery: Report
The Court Case: Tesla has been sued by James Riley, the father of a teenager who was killed in May 2018 when he lost control of the Model S vehicle he was traveling in and crashed against a concrete wall of a house in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
The car went up in flames following the collision, killing the teen and his friend in the passenger seat. Another friend in the back seat was ejected out of the car and survived.
The plaintiff's lawyers are expected to argue that Tesla showed negligence by removing a speed-limiting device in the vehicle.
Musk had communicated with Riley through multiple emails in the aftermath of the mishap, empathizing with the forlorn father, according to earlier Bloomberg reports.
Price Action: Tesla closed Wednesday's session down 0.57% at $695.20, according to Benzinga Pro data.
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