— Tesla and engineer Ashok Elluswamy have been sued by the wife and two daughters of Jason Bolton, a 49-year-old man killed in a July 2023 Tesla Model 3 crash in Santa Clara County California.
The Jason Bolton wrongful death lawsuit was filed by his wife Laura and daughters Rowan and Willow, all who claim Mr. Bolton was killed because of defects in the 2023 Tesla Model 3, specifically with the Autopilot system.
According to the lawsuit, Jason Bolton engaged Autopilot while driving the Model 3 which allegedly caused the vehicle to flip, killing Mr. Bolton.
His family complains he was killed because the Autopilot system malfunctioned, and Tesla is allegedly responsible.
Tesla allegedly placed profit above safety by marketing the Autopilot system as capable of driving the vehicle for a driver. Bolton's family contends he was killed because Tesla intentionally misrepresented the Model 3 abilities.
The lawsuit alleges Bolton was killed because he was manipulated by Tesla into believing Autopilot was safe to engage.
The lawsuit also alleges Tesla didn't warn Bolton about the limitations of the Autopilot system. However, the owner's manual warns drivers to keep their hands on the steering wheel and stay aware of their surroundings.
The Jason Bolton Tesla crash lawsuit was filed in the Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara: Laura Bolton, et al., v. Ashok Elluswamy, et al., case number 24CV443206.
The plaintiffs are represented by MLG Attorneys at Law.
