FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Jury selection in a new Broward County civil case against Tesla started on Monday.
The case goes back to a crash and a fire that killed 18-year-olds Edgar Monserratt Martinez and Barrett Riley on May 8, 2018, in Fort Lauderdale.
Monserratt Martinez was a front-seat passenger in the 2014 Tesla Model S that Riley was driving at 116 mph in a 30 mph zone, records show.
Riley crashed the Tesla Model S into a wall along Seabreeze Boulevard.
In 2022, Riley’s parents, James and Jenny Riley, claimed Tesla designed the defective lithium-ion batteries that were to blame for the fire that followed.
The lawsuit was dismissed.
Riley’s parents also claimed Tesla installed a device to prevent travel above 85 mph, and a Tesla technician in Dania Beach removed it without their consent.
Attorneys representing Tesla denied both accusations and focused on Riley’s driving record during the 2022 civil trial. A jury ruled Riley was most responsible, so Tesla was only liable for $105,000.
In the more recent civil lawsuit, Monserratt Martinez’s family claimed negligence by both Riley and Tesla were to blame for the tragedy.
Monserratt Martinez and Riley were only about 18 days away from earning their high school diploma from Pine Crest School when they died.
The civil trial is set to continue with opening statements on Tuesday morning in Fort Lauderdale.
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