Ben Gawiser won a $10,672.88 default judgment against Tesla in Texas small claims court over undelivered FSD Level 5 promises, with Tesla barely contesting.
Key Takeaways
Gawiser paid $10,000 for FSD in 2021 on a Model 3 with HW3; Tesla never delivered Level 5 autonomy and Musk admitted HW3 cars never will.
Total cost to file: $72.88 in court fees plus a $240 writ of execution; Tesla’s registered agent was found via its own legal page.
Tesla missed the default judgment hearing, missed the April 22 response deadline, then filed only a 5-day extension request with no substantive defense.
Gawiser cited Musk’s April 22, 2026 earnings call admission as evidence Tesla has no meritorious defense under the Craddock v. Sunshine Bus Lines standard.
Small claims default judgments set no binding precedent; class actions in the US, China, Australia, and Europe may represent the systemic remedy.
Hacker News Comment Review
Commenters are skeptical Gawiser will collect easily; the practical enforcement problem – getting Tesla to actually pay – is seen as the real remaining hurdle.
One commenter suggested a high-visibility asset seizure stunt (referencing a homeowner who seized bank equipment after a wrongful foreclosure) as a potential pressure tactic, though the historical example cited was corrected by another commenter.
