Tesla’s unexpected motion to dismiss a jury’s verdict in a tort case. The ruling orders the company to pay $243 million in damages in a case stemming from a fatal crash of its Autopilot software. The crash tragically killed Naibel Benavides Leon, 22, and left her boyfriend Dillon Angulo with lifelong injuries. This collision has created more serious public scrutiny into the safety of this technology and the company’s responsibility.
As a result, the jury awarded victims a record-setting $329 million. This total included $129 million in compensatory damages and $200 million in punitive damages. This decision came on the heels of finding that Elon Musk personally misled consumers about the abilities of Tesla’s Autopilot system.
George McGee, the driver operating his vehicle on Autopilot, became distracted and lost focus on the road after dropping his phone. This short circuit caused the vehicle to behave in an unintentional manner. In doing so, the driver lost focus on the road and crashed into an SUV that was parked on the other side of the intersection. Like many drivers, McGee thought the Autopilot would catch him if he screwed up. At the end of the day, he believed the system let him down. For that reason alone, neither he nor the Autopilot should have been allowed to engage the brakes just before collision with the victims.
Tesla has a history of scrutiny over crashes tied to its Autopilot tech. In 2018, the company settled a lawsuit concerning a crash that killed an Apple engineer when a Model X collided with a highway barrier while operating in Autopilot mode. A California state jury recently decided that Tesla was not liable in a case stemming from a fatality. The case was brought claiming that Autopilot caused the crash.
In response to the current verdict, Tesla criticized the trial’s proceedings, claiming it was influenced by “a flood of highly prejudicial but irrelevant evidence.” The company stated that auto manufacturers should not be held liable for the actions of reckless drivers, emphasizing that “auto manufacturers do not insure the world against harms caused by reckless drivers.”
Brett Schreiber, an attorney representing the victims, condemned Tesla’s assertion and argued that it exemplifies the company’s and Musk’s disregard for the human cost associated with their technology.
“is the latest example of Tesla and Musk’s complete disregard for the human cost of their defective technology” – Brett Schreiber.
Now Tesla is preparing to appeal this ruling. At the same time, the company is under increasing scrutiny and legal fire for its Autopilot system, a key aspect of its perception and future in automated vehicle technology.