Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCAU) shares are lower on Tuesday on reports that the parents of deceased “Star Trek” actor Anton Yelchin have filed a lawsuit against the company, CNBC’s Phil LeBeau reported, citing a report from Reuters on CNBC’s “Power Lunch” this afternoon.
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The actor’s 2015 Cherokee rolled backward down a driveway of his StudioCity home on June 19, pinning him between a mailbox and a security fence.
Recently deceased actor Anton Yelchin left no will behind before his death and now his parents Victor and Irina Yelchin are attempting to gain control of his estate.
A wrongful death lawsuit filed by his parents against Fiat Chrysler said the gear changer on his Jeep was defective.
It is not known how much the couple are seeking in damages.
It has been said that the owners are accusing the auto manufacturer of concealing a gear shifter design defect which is linked to driverless rollaway accidents.
A U.S. government investigation into the gear sticks found 266 crashes had injured 68 people as of the end of June.
Anton Yelchin, according to the court documents, left behind a almost $1.4 million estate, the young actor failed to make a will.
“FCA US LLC extends its sympathies to the Yelchin family for their tragic loss”, the carmaker said in a statement.
The company also urged customers to follow the instructions on their recall notices and set their parking brakes before exiting the vehicle.
In addition, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration also reported in June 2016 that it had received hundreds of complaints specifically about the shifter issue.
Gary A. Dordick, attorney for the Yelchin’s, said of the accident, “It appears that Anton went back to his house to retrieve something”.
“The safety recall was way too little and way too late”, Dordick said during a press conference on August 2nd, according to Us Weekly.
Anton shot to fame after playing Pavel Chekov in Star Trek and Star Trek Beyond, with the latter having just been released in the UK. Fiat said it could not comment further because it has not been served with a lawsuit.
“He never cared [about] being a star, ” Irina Yelchin said.
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“This vehicle prior to Anton’s death had over 700 roll away incidents, over 200 crashes and dozens and dozens of people injured that they knew about”, he said.
