Civil Procedure
Oct. 20, 2026
9th Circuit overturns class certification in Tesla self-driving lawsuit
An appellate panel ruled that a federal judge improperly presumed Tesla buyers had seen Elon Musk's statements about the company's self-driving capabilities, undermining the basis for class certification.
A 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel overturned class certification in a lawsuit accusing Tesla Inc. of misrepresenting its vehicles' self-driving capabilities, ruling that a federal judge improperly presumed all class members had seen a 2016 statement by CEO Elon Musk.
In an unpublished decision, the panel held that U.S. District Judge Rita F. Lin erred by treating Musk's statement on Tesla's website as the equivalent of a product label, which consumers are presu...
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