MONTHLY ROUND-UP Russian forces have launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine under the orders of President Vladimir Putin, who on Thursday 24 February announced a “special military operation” at approximately 5:00 AM Ukrainian time. Shortly after Putin’s brief televised address, explosions were heard near major Ukrainian cities, including Kyiv. Elon Musk's electric vehicle company Tesla has been sued over an alleged suspension failure in a crash that killed both the driver and a passenger in Florida last September. A LAWYER’S PERSPECTIVE: UKMUST ACT TOPREVENTMAJOR REFUGEE CRISIS AMID RUSSIA’S INVASIONOFUKRAINE ELONMUSK’S TESLASUED OVER ALLEGED SUSPENSION FAILURE IN FATAL CRASH Commenting on the role of the UK government in averting a European humanitarian crisis, Matt Ingham, partner in the Citizenship and Immigration team at law firm Payne Hicks Beach, said: “The world is about to witness a major refugee crisis in Europe as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The government in Kyiv has said that between three and five million people could be forced to leave the country, with 1.5 million already internally According to the lawsuit filed by the driver’s family, the 2021 Model 3 Tesla was equipped with “defective and unreasonably dangerous suspension that may cause loss of control during ordinary and foreseeable driving conditions.” The lawsuit claims that four days before the accident, the driver brought the vehicle to a Tesla Store due to problems with “controllability/steering, suspension, battery and electronic system, and an negligently by the lawsuit. In a preliminary report in November, the National Transportation Safety Board displaced by fighting in the east of the country. Ukraine’s Eastern European neighbours will feel the strain as citizens flee. That will lead to the inevitable overspill into the rest of Europe. “The UK government must act quickly to establish a bespoke settlement scheme for those fleeing Ukraine and avoid the kinds of problems and delays we saw from the evacuation of Afghanistan last year. It is currently difficult for Ukrainian citizens to seek asylum in the UK, and the fact there is a war currently underway does not give an automatic right to claim asylum in the UK. “The Nationality and Borders Bill, currently in the House of Lords, would make it even harder for those desperately fleeing Ukraine to come to the UK had it already been passed into law. Our government must now take a different approach and play its part to avert a humanitarian crisis.” LM ability to open the doors.” The Tesla service manager who checked the vehicle is accused of behaving said that the Tesla vehicle travelled at high speeds before crashing into two trees and catching fire. The vehicle’s driver and front-seat passenger both sustained injuries and traumatic life-ending burns, according to a Coral Gables Police Department report. The lawsuit against Tesla seeks damages of over $30,000 each from the company and its service manager. LM 6 WWW.LAWYER-MONTHLY.COM | MAR 2022
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