Tesla has filed a lawsuit against the California Department of Motor Vehicles in an attempt to overturn an agency ruling. The state DMV ruled that Tesla used deceptive marketing to overstate the automated driving capabilities of its vehicles, thereby violating state law.
This lawsuit reignites an issue that appeared to be resolved last week. At that time, the DMV said it would not suspend Tesla’s sales and manufacturing licenses for 30 days. This decision came because the electric vehicle maker complied with the ruling and stopped using the term “Autopilot” in its California marketing materials.
The DMV could have taken action against Tesla. An administrative law judge had agreed with the DMV’s request to suspend Tesla’s licenses for 30 days as a penalty. Instead of pulling its licenses, the state regulator gave Tesla 60 days to comply.
Tesla did comply, although in the most extreme ways. Tesla did not just stop using the term Autopilot in California. In January, it discontinued the Autopilot system altogether in the U.S. and Canada. Perhaps the company now regrets that decision and is looking for a legal way to bring it back.