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Tesla heads to Miami court for wrongful death trial involving Autopilot system

Tesla heads to Miami court for wrongful death trial involving Autopilot system

CBS News14-07-2025
Tesla heads to federal court in Miami on Monday to defend its Autopilot system in a wrongful death case involving the death of a 22-year-old college student.
The fatal crash took place in April 2019, when a Model S Tesla equipped with the Autopilot technology struck a parked vehicle in Key Largo, Florida, killing one woman and gravely injuring a man.
The lawsuit, originally filed in April 23, 2021, in the 11th Judicial Court of Florida in Miami-Dade County, marks the first wrongful death case against Tesla to make it to trial. The plaintiffs, Dillon Angulo, and the family of Naibel Benavides Leo, who was killed in the accident, are requesting punitive damages and compensation for medical costs and other expenses.
The trial will be a major test for the EV maker which has had to contend with slumping sales and a hit to its stock price after CEO Elon Musk took on a central role within the Trump Administration as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Musk has since stepped back from leading DOGE, although earlier this month after renewing a squabble with President Trump over the recently signed One Big Beautiful Bill Act, he floated launching a third party, dubbed the "America Party" — a move experts say could further imperil the billionaire's company's future. Tesla is also in the midst of rolling out its self-driving Robotaxis, which were part of a pilot in Austin Texas last month.
The lawyers representing the plaintiffs in the case did not respond to CBS MoneyWatch's request for comment.
Autopilot's reputation at stake
According to recent court filings connected to the case, Tesla-owner George McGee had the Autopilot function of his 2019 Tesla Model S activated as he was driving on two-lane rural road in Key Largo on April 25, 2019. McGee dropped his phone as he was approaching an intersection, and lost sight of the road as he bent down to pick it up, court documents state.
In that moment, McGee's car allegedly plowed through the T-shaped intersection at over 60 miles per hour failing to break before crashing into the side of Chevrolet Tahoe truck parked on the side of the road, killing Naibel Benavides Leon, 22, and seriously injured her boyfriend, Dillon Angulo who were standing by the truck, which was owned by Angulo.
At issue is whether the car's Autopilot system was defective and contributed to the death of Benavides. In a court filing, Todd Poses, one of the plaintiff's lawyer claims that design defects in the car's Autopilot system failed to detect obstacles, such as the profile of the Chevy Tahoe, resulting in the death of Benavides.
In its Motion for Summary Judgement, filed on June 26, Tesla argues that the Autopilot feature "did not make the car 'self-driving'" and that McGee was aware "was high aware that it was still [his] responsibility to operate the vehicle safely even with Autopilot activate."
"The evidence clearly shows that this crash had nothing to do with Tesla's Autopilot technology. Instead, like so many unfortunate accidents since cell phones were invented, this was caused by a distracted driver. To his credit, he took responsibility for his actions because he was searching for his dropped cell phone while also pressing the accelerator, speeding and overriding the car's system at the time of the crash. In 2019 when this occurred, no crash avoidance technology existed that could have prevented this tragic accident," Tesla said in a statement to CBS MoneyWatch.
Trial Details
The trial begins July 14.
Mary Cummings, a George Mason University professor and expert on advanced driver-assistance systems is likely to testify at the trial, documents from the lawsuit's docket indicate. McGee, the driver of the car, is also expected to testify.
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Couple's Weekend Hobby Turned Into Business With $4M+ Revenue
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time9 minutes ago

  • Entrepreneur

Couple's Weekend Hobby Turned Into Business With $4M+ Revenue

Husband and wife Mickey and Vicky Popat went all in on PlantOGram in 2007. Mickey Popat worked in finance, and his wife, Vicky Popat, was a teacher when their weekend gardening hobby led to more than 80 fruit trees planted in their Orlando, Florida, backyard — and the idea to turn the passion into a business. Image Credit: Courtesy of PlantOGram. Vicky Popat, left, and Mickey Popat, right. " I grew up with all kinds of amazing tropical foods, guavas and mangoes and lychee," Mickey, who immigrated to the U.S. from South Africa in the early 1990s, says, "and I was surprised [because] a lot of family and friends would come over [and ask], 'Oh my God, what is a guava? I've never tried one.' And then they'd say it was the best-tasting thing they'd ever had." Soon, those same family and friends asked the Popats if they could help them plant their own fruit trees. Mickey and Vicky both "came from a long line of entrepreneurs," and the business concept began to take root. 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The Popats have learned a lot about what it takes to make a business flourish over the years, and to aspiring entrepreneurs who might want to transform their hobbies or passions into ventures of their own, they offer two key pieces of advice. First, don't just talk about your business idea ad nauseam: Take action. During a recent conversation with their daughter, who asked how exactly PlantOGram came to be, Vicky explained that once inspiration struck, she made sure they went down to acquire the business license — no hesitation. "If you're really serious about it, go and get a license," Vicky says. "Get an LLC, go get an S corp. Go do something. And then you can start talking about your ideas [and] really put it down. Don't overthink it." Related: The Definitive Guide to Licensing: When You Get a Great Idea, What Do You Do Next? 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We visited the first Tesla Diner. It was surreal and heavy on nostalgia, but we'd go back.
We visited the first Tesla Diner. It was surreal and heavy on nostalgia, but we'd go back.

Business Insider

time11 minutes ago

  • Business Insider

We visited the first Tesla Diner. It was surreal and heavy on nostalgia, but we'd go back.

Dozens of Teslas — of all models and colors — packed into the lot of Elon Musk 's new diner on Monday evening as West Hollywood's newest restaurant celebrated its grand opening with fanfare, curiosity, and at least one protester. The retro-futuristic eatery drew a pedestrian crowd that at times circled the block and provided a promenade for tricked-out electric vehicles. Diehard Tesla fans and curious onlookers alike stopped in for a bite to eat and a selfie with a popcorn-serving humanoid robot. The unusual atmosphere paired a mix of nostalgia and science fiction: "The Twilight Zone" played on giant screens, servers dashed by on roller skates, and EVs and robotics were proudly on display. "Aiming to be a fun experience for all, whether Tesla owners or not. Will keep improving," Musk wrote on X following the Tesla Diner's official opening. 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The expansive parking lot has V4 80 Supercharger stalls, making it the largest urban charging hub in the world. Dozens of Cybertrucks — some polished, several modified for off-roading, and one adorned with a DogeCoin-themed vinyl wrap — paraded through the lot on opening night while other models of Tesla vehicles honked their horns or blew bubbles. Inside, the restaurant looks like what you might expect an animator from "The Jetsons" would dream up: a vintage perspective on the future. The crisp white walls and shiny white tile floor stand in stark contrast to the black ceilings with neon blue lighting. The seating is familiar to anyone who's been to a diner, though few patrons stayed in the main dining area. Large clusters of customers formed around the "pick-up" area of the bar, waiting for their orders, while others ate upstairs on the Skypad. Large, rounded windows fill many of the building's walls, and artwork includes prototypes of humanoid robots created by Tesla: Bumblebee, a 2022-era droid, and iterations of Optimus, which the company is working to bring to market. A classic diner menu, reimagined Chef Greenspan, a James Beard award nominee and Food Network personality known for his imaginative takes on old-school favorites, took control of the kitchen for the Tesla Diner's opening service. The menu, available 24 hours a day, highlights classic diner fare: smash burgers, hot dogs, tuna melts, club sandwiches, chicken and waffles, tallow fries (wagyu chili and cheese optional), and milkshakes. Breakfast options, also available around the clock, include breakfast tacos, avocado toast, biscuits and gravy, yogurt parfaits with berries, and cinnamon rolls. Prices range from $9 to $15 for entrées, which come in Cybertruck-themed packaging, and sides run from $4 to $12. Kids' meals are $13 a piece, and drinks start at $4. No alcohol is served on-site. Though some on social media were quick to critique the price point, prices are comparable to other nearby restaurants, including the classic Astro Burger joint down the street, established in 1972, which offers similarly priced grub and retro vibes. For dinner, one BI reporter and their date tried the Tesla Burger, Fried Chicken & Waffles, Tallow-fried fries with wagyu chili and cheese, Hash Brown Bites, Epic Bacon, and two milkshake flavors. At breakfast, another BI reporter had breakfast tacos, a cinnamon roll, and an iced latte. Everything sampled was worth a second bite — there were decidedly no disappointments on the menu items tried. However, the food was somewhat inconsistent, as one might expect from a grand opening, when the kitchen is still working out the kinks. Half of the Tesla Burger had a classic smash burger texture, while the other was so thick it was medium rare in the center. The bacon had some burned bits and some chewy ones, and the tallow fries varied in texture. The breakfast taco was tasty, but it was overpowered by too much cheese. Several customers during the dinner service complained that their meals took upward of 45 minutes to be served. Eater reported that Musk himself demanded every item on the menu be "epic" or be removed from its list of offerings. The "epic" bacon — with maple glaze and black pepper — was perhaps the least exciting bite of the meal, in one reporter's view. All told, however, the menu was solid diner fare: nothing revolutionary, but it hit the spot. Still working out the kinks The Tesla Diner was bustling within hours of its opening, with trash already strewn on the floor and foot scuffs highly visible on the light-colored flooring. 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Whether the diner guests are primarily Tesla drivers or inquisitive onlookers, the Tesla Diner makes it clear that Musk is expanding his EV brand — and the food was pretty good.

Tesla set to report second-quarter earnings after the bell
Tesla set to report second-quarter earnings after the bell

CNBC

time11 minutes ago

  • CNBC

Tesla set to report second-quarter earnings after the bell

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