'Brake failure' protester ordered to pay Tesla US$23,811
A local court has ruled in favor of Tesla (Shanghai) Co in a defamation case against a woman who claimed her Tesla experienced brake failure in a car-top protest at the 2021 Shanghai Auto Show.
Qingpu District People's Court ordered the car owner surnamed Zhang to issue a public apology and pay Tesla (Shanghai) Co 172,275 yuan (US$23,811) damages.
On April 19, 2021, during the world's largest auto show, Zhang climbed onto a Tesla display car to protest a "brake failure" she said she had experienced.
Zhang on top of a Tesla car at the Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition on April 19, 2021, to draw attention to allegations of brake failure.
According to court documents, Zhang wore a T-shirt with the words "brake failure" and Tesla's logo, and repeatedly shouted: "Tesla brakes failed me," while standing on top of the car. She was detained by police.
The court found Zhang had failed to provide any evidence to prove brake failure. During the trial, she admitted that her assertion of brake failure was based on her subjective judgment, and Tesla had never acknowledged such a defect.
The court concluded that Zhang's actions, carried out without any objective evidence of brake failure, constituted defamation.
