What happens legally when a self-driving car causes harm—and no human was driving?

In this episode of Courtside, we dig into AI liability through a series of real-world scenarios and uncomfortable hypotheticals: a Waymo ride with no driver, passengers with no real ability to intervene, what “emergency response” looks like when there’s no human to call 911, and why the terms you clicked through may matter more than you think.

We also look ahead: Tesla robotaxi-style fleets, self-driving semis, and why the future of these cases may come down to data trails and “black box” forensics—changing how lawyers investigate, prove fault, and value cases.

Guest: Ashley Robinson

Key topics

• Waymo liability: pedestrians, property, and passenger injuries • Waivers, assumption of risk, and arbitration clauses • “Kill switch” / what passengers can do when things go wrong • Why the next era of litigation is data + forensic tracing

Disclaimer: Courtside episodes are for general information only and are not legal advice.

You pay for parking in good faith — estimate your time, use the app, go about your day. Then, days later, a letter arrives in the mail with a photo of your car and an “invoice” for $90–$115 because you overstayed by a minute or two.

Is that legal? How are private parking operators getting drivers’ home addresses? And what happens when hidden arbitration clauses and data access collide with federal privacy law?

In this episode, we sit down with MF&H litigator Charlie Garabedian, who is leading putative class actions against private parking operators that use license-plate cameras, mass-mail penalty invoices, and allegedly access DMV records in ways that may violate the Driver’s Privacy Protection Act (DPPA).

We dig into: — How these systems track entry/exit times and auto-generate “gotcha” fees — The difference between a lawful ticket and a private invoice — Why arbitration clauses on tiny parking-lot signs may be unenforceable — The consumer privacy implications of pulling DMV data — Why these cases resonate so strongly with the public

As Charlie explains, these aren’t minor annoyances — for many people, a $115 charge means choosing between paying a notice and paying for groceries. And under the DPPA, improper access to protected driver information can trigger minimum statutory damages of $2,500 per violation.

Featuring Desiree Fernandez | In this episode of Courtside with MF&H, the hosts unpack two very different cases with the same underlying lesson: credibility wins trials—and overreach destroys it.

The conversation begins with the viral Cardi B civil trial, where a $24 million damages demand, unfocused cross-examination, and tone-deaf questioning turned a winnable case into a cautionary tale. The panel breaks down why juries punish overswinging, how open-ended questions can hand control to a witness, and why likability matters as much as legal theory in a jury trial.

The discussion then pivots to Boeing’s ongoing litigation fallout from the 737 MAX crashes, examining how internal warnings, disclosure failures, and alleged cover-ups escalated legal exposure across wrongful death claims, securities actions, and government enforcement. The episode explores what defense counsel should do when safety, whistleblowers, and public trust collide—and why hiding bad facts almost always makes things worse.

Across both cases, the takeaway is clear: you can survive bad facts, but you can’t survive a loss of credibility.

Courtside with MF&H offers candid, real-world insights into litigation strategy, courtroom dynamics, and the legal decisions that shape outcomes long before a verdict is read.