Electric car maker Tesla is suing Louisiana over a law that requires cars be sold only through dealerships. Tesla argues it should be allowed to sell its cars directly to consumers.
Legal analyst Doug Sunseri says the electric car maker is arguing that unfairly benefits its competitors
Sunseri sums up Tesla's argument against the law: "It has an anti-competitive function, and it ultimately hurts the consumers, because they have less choice."
It is an argument similar to the one made by Benedictine monks in St. Tammany Parish -- who successfully sued in federal court in 2013 to overturn a law that prevented them from selling hand-made coffins directly to consumers. The monks convinced a federal court that a state law limiting sales only to licensed funeral homes deprived them of their rights to engage in business.
Sunseri said that is the opposite of what the law's intention was.
"Initially, they wanted to do that to protect manufacturers from shutting down stores," he explained. "This law goes back to the 1950s."
Tesla argues that in the 2020s, such legal protectionism is as outdated as fins on a '57 Chevy.
