Tesla to pay more than $200 million in damages after being found partly liable for fatal Autopilot crash
- Tesla has been found partly liable for a fatal Autopilot crash in Florida, resulting in $200 million in punitive damages and $43 million in compensatory damages.
- This is a rare loss for Tesla over Autopilot, which has been linked to hundreds of crashes and dozens of deaths by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
- The company won two jury trials in 2023 related to Autopilot crashes, but this latest verdict marks a significant setback for Tesla’s efforts to develop and implement autonomous driving technology.
- Tesla’s Autopilot feature is designed to control steering and brakes, but some argue that the company has misled drivers about its cars’ capabilities, including falsely advertising its Autopilot and Full-Self Driving features as autonomous driving capabilities.
- Tesla plans to appeal the verdict, which was described by the company as “wrong” and a threat to automotive safety and the development of life-saving technology.
A federal jury in Florida found Tesla partly liable for a deadly 2019 crash involving Tesla’s Autopilot driver assist software, according to reports from The New York Times and CNBC. Tesla has been ordered to pay $200 million in punitive damages and about $43 million in compensatory damages, CBS News reports.
It’s a rare loss in court for Tesla over Autopilot, which has been linked to hundreds of crashes and dozens of deaths by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The company won two jury trials in 2023 resulting from lawsuits alleging that Autopilot was to blame for crashes, and last year, a lawsuit challenging Tesla’s claims about Autopilot was dismissed by a federal judge. The loss also comes as Tesla is starting to test its robotaxi service in Austin and Bay Area — though in the latter location, it arguably isn’t a robotaxi service just yet.
Tesla’s Autopilot feature is designed to control a vehicle’s steering and brakes; however, some argue that the EV-maker has misled drivers about its cars’ capabilities. The California Department of Motor Vehicles, for example, has accused Tesla of falsely advertising its Autopilot and Full-Self Driving capabilities as autonomous driving features.
During the trial, which started in July, plaintiffs argued that Tesla’s driver-assist software was at fault for causing a crash that killed 22-year-old Naibel Benavides. While driving in Key Largo, Florida, Tesla owner George McGee crashed into Benavides’ vehicle after bending over to grab a phone that he had dropped. McGee told the jury he thought Autopilot “would protect him and prevent a serious crash if he made a mistake,” according to the NYT.
“Today’s verdict is wrong and only works to set back automotive safety and jeopardize Tesla’s and the entire industry’s efforts to develop and implement life-saving technology,” the company said in a statement to the NYT. The company plans to appeal.