A Texas woman has filed a lawsuit against Tesla, alleging the company was negligent in keeping Elon Musk as CEO after her Cybertruck crashed into a concrete barrier on a Houston overpass. The suit, filed in Harris County, seeks more than $1 million in damages for injuries sustained in the August 2024 incident.
According to the complaint, Justine Saint Amour was driving her Cybertruck on Interstate 69 when the vehicle failed to follow a right-hand curve on a Y-shaped overpass. Despite attempting to disable the self-driving mode, the truck continued toward a concrete barrier and collided with it. The lawsuit claims the vehicle's system malfunctioned and that Tesla misrepresented the safety and capabilities of its driver-assistance technology.
The suit accuses Tesla of overstating the reliability of its Autopilot features and describes Musk's involvement in the system's design as “reckless and dangerous.” It alleges Tesla was negligent in “allowing Elon Musk to override the concerns of engineers at Tesla,” including rejecting recommendations for additional safety redundancies such as LiDAR sensors in favour of “cheap video cameras.” The complaint also claims the Cybertruck lacked an adequate backup braking system and that Tesla failed to provide sufficient warnings or instructions.
This case adds to mounting legal and regulatory pressure on Tesla. In August 2025, a Miami federal jury found Tesla liable for a 2019 crash involving a Model S with Autopilot engaged, awarding $43m in compensation and $200m in punitive damages. Separately, in 2025, the family of a Houston man sued Tesla after he died when his Cybertruck caught fire following a crash, alleging the electrically operated doors failed to open.
