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U.K. Court Dismisses Tesla’s "Top Gear" Lawsuit

An appeals court in London has rejected a libel lawsuit by electric car maker Tesla Motors Inc. that charges the BBC with "malicious falsehood" in an episode of the popular Top Gear program in late 2008.
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An appeals court in London has rejected a libel lawsuit by electric car maker Tesla Motors Inc. that charges the BBC with "malicious falsehood" in an episode of the popular Top Gear program in late 2008.

The Palo Alto, Calif.-based company alleges that Top Gear faked a scene that showed the program's crew pushing a Tesla Roadster off the test track after 55 miles of travel well short of its purported 200-mile range. Tesla says the car never lost its charge.

A lower court threw out the case last year. The appeals judge says the show wouldn't have misled a reasonable viewer about the car's range. An earlier court order indicated Tesla would be required to pay 100,000 ($150,000) of the BBC's court costs.

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