Grief and prayers at funeral for those killed in ongoing Israeli operation
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The Hill
26 minutes ago
- The Hill
Jury orders Tesla to pay $329M in Autopilot crash case, opening it up to other costly lawsuits
MIAMI (AP) — A Miami jury ordered Elon Musk's car company on Friday to pay $329 million to victims of a deadly crash involving its Autopilot driver assist technology, opening the door to other costly lawsuits and potentially striking a blow to Tesla's reputation for safety at a critical time for the company. The federal jury held that Tesla bore significant responsibility because its technology failed and that not all the blame can be put on a reckless driver, even one who admitted he was distracted by his cell phone before hitting a young couple out gazing at the stars. The decision comes as Musk seeks to convince Americans his cars are safe enough to drive on their own as he plans to roll out a driverless taxi service in several cities in the coming months. The decision ends a four-year long case remarkable not just in its outcome but that it even made it to trial. Many similar cases against Tesla have been dismissed and, when that didn't happen, settled by the company to avoid the spotlight of a trial. 'This will open the floodgates,' said Miguel Custodio, a car crash lawyer not involved in the Tesla case. 'It will embolden a lot of people to come to court.' The case also included startling charges by lawyers for the family of the deceased, 22-year-old, Naibel Benavides Leon, and for her injured boyfriend, Dillon Angulo. They claimed Tesla either hid or lost key evidence, including data and video recorded seconds before the accident. Tesla has previously faced criticism that it is slow to cough up crucial data by relatives of other victims in Tesla crashes, accusations that the car company has denied. In this case, the plaintiffs showed Tesla had the evidence all along, despite its repeated denials, by hiring a forensic data expert who dug it up. Tesla said it made a mistake after being shown the evidence and honestly hadn't thought it was there. It's not clear how much of a hit to Tesla's reputation for safety the verdict in the Miami case will make. Tesla has vastly improved its technology since the crash on a dark, rural road in Key Largo, Florida, in 2019.
San Francisco Chronicle
26 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Alleged leader of Mexican kidnapping ring released after nearly 20 years in prison
MEXICO CITY (AP) — The alleged leader of an infamous Mexican kidnapping ring walked out of a maximum security prison after nearly 20 years Friday, hours after a judge said there wasn't sufficient evidence to support the charges holding him. Interior Secretary Rosa Icela Rodríguez on Friday rattled off a list of appeals, injunctions and complaints filed over the years of Israel Vallarta's imprisonment in a case that never arrived at a verdict. The Attorney General's Office did not immediately respond as to whether it would appeal. Vallarta was arrested in 2005, along with his girlfriend French citizen Florence Cassez. Cassez was eventually convicted and sentenced to 60 years on charges of aiding a kidnapping ring, in a case that soured relations between Paris and Mexico City. She acknowledged living with Vallarta at a ranch where kidnap victims were being held, but professed her innocence, saying she was unaware of their presence. One victim identified her as a kidnapper, but by voice only rather than by sight. A day after Cassez was arrested, police had forced her to take part in a staged raid on the ranch purportedly to rescue hostages and arrest suspects. It was covered by the media and broadcast on television. In January 2013 the Supreme Court overturned Cassez's conviction due to procedural and rights violations. She was released and became a cause celebre in France.
San Francisco Chronicle
26 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Judge in Grenada sentences 3 escaped prisoners found guilty in killing of US yachting couple
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Three escaped prisoners from the eastern Caribbean island of Grenada who were accused of killing an elderly U.S. couple last year after hijacking their catamaran have been sentenced. Ron Mitchell, a sailor in his 30s who was accused of being the ringleader, received two life sentences late Wednesday in the killings of Ralph Hendry and Kathy Brandel. Atiba Stanislaus, a farmer in his late 20s, received 60 years for manslaughter and nearly 18 years for the rape of Brandel, among other sentences, for a variety of crimes including kidnapping. Trevon Robertson, an unemployed man in his early 20s, received 56 years for manslaughter and other sentences for different crimes, according to local media reports. The New Today, a local newspaper, reported that prosecutors said the men bound and gagged the couple before throwing them overboard, with Mitchell accused of steering the yacht over Hendry. The two bodies were never found. Police at the time said the men had escaped in late February 2024 from the South Saint George Police Station. They hijacked the catamaran Simplicity on the following day and then headed to nearby St. Vincent, where they were arrested, according to authorities. The nonprofit Salty Dawg Sailing Association had said that Hendry and Brandel were 'veteran cruisers' and longtime members of the association, calling them 'warm-hearted and capable.'
