That's not how the 5th amendment works. It's not a flag you raise to say "nah nah, I'm not gonna tell you!" for the purpose of attracting a criminal lawsuit.

That being said, "where there's smoke there's fire"... but pleading the 5th isn't always the drama we see in Law and Order and Making a Murderer - often individuals just don't want to be misconstrued and prosecuted for saying something and their words being taken out of context.

This is a civil suit, the district attorney is for felony trials. Levandowski definitely seems to have committed a felony. What usually happens in these sorts of cases, from what I have read, is that the civil suit takes place first and establishes the facts, and then the felony trial takes place based on them.

There's nothing wrong or shady about claiming the 5th. It's an important legal protection. Why would you seek to diminish or undermine something that might one day protect you?