Australian Tesla Lawsuit Faces Discovery Clash
An Australian judge has questioned whether Tesla is taking the discovery process seriously in a class action involving allegations about phantom braking, battery range and self-driving capabilities.
During a Federal Court hearing on Friday, Justice Tom Thawley warned the Elon Musk-led carmaker it could face “a really bad time” if it failed to cooperate fully with the legal process.
The class action, brought by Brisbane-based law firm JGA Saddler, represents around 10,000 Australian Tesla drivers. The lawsuit alleges Tesla misled consumers about vehicle performance and autonomous driving functions.
Tesla has denied mischaracterising its products.
Judge Questions Tesla Discovery Process
At the pre-trial hearing, lawyers for the applicants argued Tesla had produced only 2,000 documents despite an eight-month discovery process.
Rebecca Jancauskas, representing JGA Saddler, told the court the plaintiffs required technical documents related to engineering software, internal computer systems and complaints made outside Australia. However, she said the material provided so far had been insufficient.
She argued the limited disclosure had affected the preparation of expert evidence.
Justice Thawley said he found it “gobsmacking” that only 2,000 documents had been produced. Moreover, he questioned whether the discovery exercise had been handled appropriately.
The judge added that it was reasonable to expect Tesla to provide detailed engineering reports, investigations and related technical material. However, he acknowledged the company could seek redactions for confidential or commercially sensitive information.
Tesla Says Thousands More Documents Under Review
Tesla lawyer Imtiaz Ahmed told the court the company had manually reviewed around 100,000 documents and still had approximately 75,000 more to assess.
Ahmed said Tesla remained concerned about releasing sensitive information, including the identities of individuals who could potentially be contacted by the applicants’ legal team.
Nevertheless, the court indicated that concerns about confidentiality did not remove the obligation to comply properly with discovery requirements.
Court Sets July Deadline
Justice Thawley ordered Tesla to complete its discovery process by July 31. Furthermore, he warned the company that inadequate disclosure could trigger closer judicial scrutiny into how the process had been managed.
The judge also scheduled another case management hearing for September 1 as the class action continues to progress through the Federal Court.
The lawsuit remains one of the most significant Australian legal challenges faced by Tesla regarding claims linked to vehicle technology and driver assistance systems.
With inputs from Reuters
