[zaphar]

Taking the fifth is not automatically a sign of guilt despite what some people might think.

As I understand it it's not out of the realm of possibility for a lawyer to advise doing so even for completely innocent clients. It's not hard to get tripped up on the stand and sound guilty even when you aren't.

[tjalfi]

This. The video Don't Talk to the Police[0] has several concrete examples of how not taking the fifth amendment can be to your disadvantage.

[0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-7o9xYp7eE

[joshuamorton]

This is not a criminal proceeding.

[kbenson]

But the case has been referred to the authorities for a possible criminal case. In that light, there may be more reason to keep quiet.

[bradleyjg]

It's one thing to take the fifth out of an abundance of caution when all it might do is raise some suspicion. It's another thing when doing so is likely to cost you $250MM. It's hard to look at this course of events and conclude that Levandowski probably did nothing wrong.