BUSINESS NEWS JANUARY 7, 2019 / 9:53 AM / UPDATED 12 MINUTES AGO

U.S. top court declines to take up Fiat Chrysler hacking case

Tina Bellon
3 MIN READ

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear Fiat Chrysler’s appeal in a class action lawsuit over allegations that its Jeeps and other trucks are vulnerable to hacking, one of the first legal cases involving automotive cybersecurity risks.

The court’s action paves the way for a March trial in the litigation centering on the question of whether truck buyers can sue over hypothetical future injuries without having been actual victims of cybersecurity attacks on their vehicles. Fiat Chrysler has received widespread support from industry groups in the dispute.

Three car owners from Illinois, Michigan and Missouri in 2015 sued the U.S. subsidiary of the Italian-controlled carmaker and Harman International Industries, a subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co that manufactures the Uconnect infotainment system installed in various Ram, Dodge, Jeep and Chrysler trucks.

According to the lawsuit, cyber criminals are able to gain access to the infotainment system, allowing them to take over safety-critical functions such as acceleration, braking, steering and ignition.

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