$329 million victory against Tesla

The civil justice system is constantly adapting to the digital age, and few cases illustrate this challenge better than the first jury verdict holding Tesla liable for an Autopilot defect.

In the latest, must-listen two-part series on our Coopers’ Code podcast, Miles Cooper sits down for an after-action review with trial master Brett Schreiber, Partner at Singleton Schreiber, who broke down this landmark case. The result: a unanimous Florida federal jury judgment totaling a staggering $329 million. This isn’t just a verdict; it’s a masterclass in modern product liability.

The first episode takes you behind the scenes of the crash investigation and the discovery fight that built the foundation for the historic win. Listeners will hear about the technical misdirection the defense used, including Tesla’s insistence that Autopilot was not involved in the crash.

The real story, however, hinges on detective work:

• The missing data: Learn how the crucial Autopilot computer went missing.
• The unconventional expert: Discover how Coopers’ Code guest Brett Schreiber had to employ a Russian hacker to recover the flight data Tesla claimed never existed.
• The modern battleground: Brett explains why understanding algorithmic decision making is now central to modern product liability cases.

This part is a blueprint for trial lawyers on how persistence and strategic choices can cut through technical denial and expose the truth.

In Part 2, the action moves inside the courtroom, detailing the strategic choices that drove this massive result.

Brett walks us through the intense pressure of a rapid-fire jury selection and the strategy used to simplify complex engineering evidence for the jury. He reveals the moments when Tesla’s own decisions opened the door to devastating testimony and evidence, including:

• “Elon’s greatest hits”: Find out how the company founder’s own public statements became powerful trial exhibits in the courtroom.
• Framing punishment: Learn how Brett framed the punitive damages request to the jury, asking them to send a message by docking the company the equivalent of “one week of earnings.”
• The power of narrative: The episode closes with Brett’s hard-won lessons on crafting a winning narrative, the nature of proof, and the critical lesson that in the digital world, nothing is ever truly deleted.

This is a two-part educational opportunity for anyone interested in consumer safety, corporate accountability, and the future of complex litigation.

Don’t miss this landmark after-action review. Watch Part 1 on YouTube.