Tesla crash case: Miami jury holds Elon Musk's company liable in autopilot crash that killed woman; awards $329 million in damages
A Miami federal jury on Friday ordered Tesla to pay $329 million in damages over a deadly 2019 crash involving its Autopilot driver-assistance system, a rare courtroom defeat that could have major implications for the company and its self-driving technology.
The verdict came after the jury found Tesla's Autopilot system shared responsibility for the crash that killed 22-year-old Naibel Benavides Leon and seriously injured her boyfriend, Dillon Angulo.
The couple had been stargazing by the roadside in Key Largo, Florida, when they were struck by a Tesla vehicle. The driver admitted to being distracted by his cellphone but claimed he had relied on the Autopilot feature to control the car, reported AP.
Jurors determined that Tesla's technology had failed to prevent the collision and that the company could not shift all blame to the human behind the wheel. The decision marks one of the first times Tesla has been held publicly accountable by a jury for a fatal crash involving its driver-assist software.
The outcome comes at a critical time for Tesla and CEO Elon Musk, who is preparing to launch a fully driverless taxi service in several cities and continues to champion the safety of Tesla's autonomous driving technology.
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The four-year legal battle revealed claims by the victims' attorneys that Tesla had either hidden or misplaced key crash data, including internal logs and video footage recorded just before the impact. After a forensic expert hired by the plaintiffs uncovered the data, Tesla acknowledged it had the information but said it had been unaware of its location.
The case stood out not just for its outcome, but because it made it to trial.
Many similar lawsuits involving Tesla crashes have either been dismissed or quietly settled. Legal experts believe this verdict could change that.
'This will open the floodgates,' said Miguel Custodio, a personal injury attorney not involved in the case, as quoted by AP. 'It will embolden a lot of people to come to court.'
Tesla has faced previous accusations of being slow to provide crash data to victims' families — claims the company has consistently denied. In this case, however, the jury sided with the plaintiffs, concluding the automaker was at least partially responsible.
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