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Another Tesla Was Vandalized in Texas. Why Its Owner Is Suing for More Than $1 Million

A Tarrant County petition alleges a 2022 Tesla Model X was scratched at DFW Airport and seeks more than $1 million. The plaintiff’s claims and the reported criminal charge have not produced an established outcome in the available sources.
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A Tesla owner is seeking more than $1 million in a civil lawsuit over alleged damage to his Model X at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. In a petition filed March 25, 2025, the plaintiff—identified as John Doe, or J.N.—accuses Rafael Hernandez of scratching the vehicle and argues that the act was targeted. Those claims have not been established by a court.

What the lawsuit says happened at DFW Airport

J.N.’s petition says he owned a 2022 Tesla Model X and parked it at Terminal A, Level 5, near Gate 17 at DFW Airport on or about March 13, 2025. When he returned on March 16, he allegedly found a deep scratch or indentation along the passenger side. The filing says the Tesla’s built-in cameras recorded a man moving what appeared to be a key or another instrument along the car, and alleges that the man was later identified as Hernandez. (Tarrant County petition)

The petition says J.N. is a Dallas County resident and filed under initials to protect his and his family’s privacy. The case is John Doe v. Rafael Hernandez, Tarrant County case 141-363070-25.

Why the owner is seeking more than $1 million

The petition requests monetary relief exceeding $1 million. It lists claimed property damage and loss in the vehicle’s value, emotional distress and mental anguish, lost earnings or earning capacity, exemplary damages, attorney fees, costs, and prejudgment and post-judgment interest. These are categories of damages the plaintiff is requesting; the figure is not a court award or finding about the car’s value or the plaintiff’s losses. (Tarrant County petition; Fort Worth Star-Telegram)

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The filing also requests a jury trial and a Level III discovery control plan. The available reporting and filing do not establish whether the court granted those requests.

What is alleged about a political motive

J.N.’s petition frames the alleged damage as targeted and connects it to the “Tesla Takedown” movement. It argues that public attention and harassment caused him to fear continued intimidation. That is the plaintiff’s theory, not a proven motive or an adjudicated connection to the movement. The contemporaneous Star-Telegram report likewise described the lawsuit and criminal charge but did not establish a motive. (Tarrant County petition; Fort Worth Star-Telegram)

The petition says Donald Trump Jr. reposted the incident and that the post had 4.7 million views as of March 23, 2025. That figure is the petition’s account and was not independently verified in the sources available here.

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How the civil lawsuit differs from the criminal charge

The civil case is J.N.’s effort to obtain damages from Hernandez. Separately, the Star-Telegram reported on March 26, 2025, that Hernandez, then 56 and from Frisco, had been arrested on March 22 and charged with criminal mischief. The report said the charged damage value was more than $2,500 and less than $30,000, and that he had been released on bond. An arrest and charge are not a conviction; the report does not establish the later criminal-case outcome. (Fort Worth Star-Telegram)

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What is known about the case’s outcome

The available sources establish that the civil petition was filed in Tarrant County on March 25, 2025, and that the Star-Telegram reported the arrest and charge the following day. They do not establish a later civil ruling, settlement, trial, or disposition, nor a later criminal-case result. The lawsuit’s requested damages and allegations should not be read as a judgment against Hernandez.

What the plaintiff’s lawyer said

In a March 26, 2025 press release carried by The Auto Channel, Majed Nachawati, founder of Nachawati Law Group, said: “America is a free country, and you are entitled to purchase a car free from vandalism, harassment, harm or threats solely due to political beliefs.” This is the position of the plaintiff’s counsel, not a court finding. (The Auto Channel)

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