Take That Elon! $60M Verdict Against Tesla with Lee Christie and Karen Zahka

Join Rahul and Ben for their discussion with Indiana trial lawyer Lee Christie and Trial Lawyers for Justice Attorney, Karen Zahka, as they break down their recent trial against Tesla.  Although the case started out as a simple pickup truck vs. motorcycle accident involving a left turn, the personal involvement of Elon Musk led to an unusual investment of resources on the defense side and high drama in the courtroom.  To get to verdict, the plaintiff had to navigate a series of landmines and obstacles, including numerous law firms entering and exiting the case, a sea of motions, dozens of requests for mistrial and a hold-out juror that almost led to a mistrial during jury deliberations.  

Link to animation video mentioned in episode:

https://hypelegal.wistia.com/medias/z8rn4p0v6u

About Lee Christie

Indiana Personal Injury Lawyers | Christie Farrell Lee & Bell (cflblaw.com)

Lee Christie is a part­ner with Christie Farrell Lee & Bell and is a life­long Indi­ana res­i­dent. He is pas­sion­ate in rep­re­sen­ta­tion, and takes pride in the relationships he devel­ops with his clients. He has exten­sive trial expe­ri­ence in both fed­eral and state court and is a fre­quent lec­turer on trial, medi­a­tion, per­sonal injury, med­ical mal­prac­tice, truck­ing acci­dents, and set­tle­ment issues. Lee has represented thousands of clients who have been personally injured and has obtained settlements and verdicts as high as $30.5M.  Lee is highly civically engaged with several Indiana organizations, including the Walker Foundation (founding board member and officer) and Indianapolis Bar Foundation (board member and officer), and is a patron of the YMCA.  He is past president of the Lawrence Township Girls Basketball League and continues to work with youth in the inner city of Indianapolis.

Achievements

Lee has been selected by Super Lawyers as a Top 10 Super Lawyer in Indi­ana and was named the Best Lawyer, Indi­anapo­lis Lawyer of the Year for Medi­a­tion (2014) and Arbitration (2012). He is a mem­ber of the Indi­ana Trial Lawyers Asso­ci­a­tion, the Amer­i­can Asso­ci­a­tion for Jus­tice, the Inter­state Truck­ing Lit­i­ga­tion Group, and Academy of Truck Accident Attorneys. Lee has verdicts and settlements ranging from tens of thousands of dollars to over $30 million.

Hon­ors

• 2025 President of the Indianapolis Bar Association
• Indiana Judicial Nominating and Qualifications Commission (to serve a three-year term beginning 1/1/23)
• Indiana State Bar Association GP Hall of Fame Award 2021
• National Trial Lawyers: Trucking Trial Lawyers Association Top 10 in Indiana
• Indiana Lawyer Distinguished Barrister Award, 2017
• Indi­ana Trial Lawyer’s Asso­ci­a­tion Trial Lawyer of the Year, 2015
• National Asso­ci­a­tion of Dis­tin­guished Coun­sel – The Nation’s Top One Per­cent, 2015, Founding Member
• Selected to Top 10 Indi­ana Super Lawyers, 2014
• Selected to Top 50 Indi­ana Super Lawyers, 2005–present
• The Best Lawyers in Amer­ica,® Per­sonal Injury Lit­i­ga­tion—Plaintiffs, 2005-present
• Best Lawyers® Indianapolis Medi­a­tion “Lawyer of the Year”
• Mar­tin­dale Hubbel high­est AVrat­ing, 1983-2017
• 2010 Civility Award Recipient – Indiana State Bar Association

Named “Lawyer of the Year” by Best Lawyers® for:

• Arbitration, Indianapolis (2024)
• Mediation, Indianapolis (2024)
• Arbitration, Indianapolis (2019)
• Mediation, Indianapolis (2018)
• Mediation, Indianapolis (2014)
• Arbitration, Indianapolis (2012)

Memberships</