A family loyal to Tesla turns foe after teen’s tragic accident

Brand new Tesla cars sit in a parking lot at a Tesla showroom on June 27, 2022 in Corte Madera, California. James Riley contends the world’s most valuable car maker shouldn’t have de-activated a speed limiter feature that Tesla technicians had installed at his wife’s request after Barrett was ticketed weeks earlier for driving at 112 mph in a 50 mph zone. — AFP

The Riley family were Tesla true believers: James excitedly plunked down US$100 (RM442) to become one of the first 700 owners of the Model S, Jenny treated a service representative like one of her own children and Barrett dreamed of one day working for Elon Musk.

But in a federal courthouse this week in Florida, James Riley occasionally wept on the stand as he told jurors he believed Tesla Inc’s negligence resulted in his son Barrett’s death.