The trial lawyers at Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy, who won a $33 million street-racing jury verdict in San Mateo County this summer, filed suit today against Tesla, Inc., the racing club 9burgring, and Ambassador Wine Bars LLC. CPM represents Michelle Brooks, a 70-year-old Loma Mar resident who was critically injured on August 30th in a head-on collision with a Tesla representative who was driving double the speed limit to show the car’s capabilities.

According to the complaint, a Tesla representative demonstrating a Model Y’s speed on Highway 84 in La Honda hit more than 80 mph in a 40-mph zone, lost control on a blind curve, crossed the double yellow lines and struck Ms. Brooks’s car head-on. Ms. Brooks was transported to Stanford Hospital with a fractured spine, broken limbs and ribs, internal injuries requiring multiple surgeries, and a traumatic brain injury.

The complaint alleges that Tesla sent the 21-year-old representative to a “Cars and Coffee” meetup—organized by social media racing group 9burgring and Ambassador Wine Bars LLC—to market its performance vehicles to racing enthusiasts. Tesla, 9burgring, and Ambassador Wine Bars LLC went ahead with the event even though the Sheriff’s Office, the CHP, and Supervisor Ray Mueller’s office met with them and urged them to cancel it. Over the past five years, more than 20 people have died, and nearly 800 have been injured in crashes on Highways 9, 35 and 84. Residents of the area have campaigned for years to hold drivers and racing clubs responsible for reckless behavior that causes injuries. The suit, filed in San Mateo County Superior Court, details the racing culture that has permeated those highways.

“In August, a San Mateo County jury told street racers, and the people who enable them, that this community will hold them accountable,” said Niall McCarthy, lead counsel for Ms. Brooks. “Tesla chose to market its cars at a racing club in an area infamous for street racing. Michelle Brooks’ life has been forever altered due to Tesla’s marketing decisions.”

On August 11th, McCarthy and his partners Elizabeth T. Castillo and Zachary N. Zaharoff won a $33 million verdict for the twin daughters of Greg Ammen and Grace Spiridon. The San Carlos couple was killed in 2022 when a 17-year-old street racer driving 105 to 110 mph struck their car on El Camino Real in Redwood City. The jury held both racers and the teen’s parents liable for ignoring their son’s dangerous behavior.

About Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy, LLP

Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy engages exclusively in litigation and trials and has earned a national reputation for its dedication to prosecuting or defending socially just actions. To learn more about the firm, visit www.cpmlegal.com.

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