Tesla Ordered To Pay Over $240 Million In Autopilot Crash Case

A Miami jury found Tesla to be partly responsible for a car crash in Florida involving the company's Autopilot Driver Assist Technology and ordered it to pay around $240 million in damages. The case which was being heard for several weeks concluded with the federal jury stating that Tesla bore responsibility for its failed technology and not all the blame can be put on a reckless driver.

The case centred around whether Tesla’s self-drive technology led to the death of a 22-year-old Naibel Benavides Leon in 2019. She was driving a Tesla Model S which was equipped with the autopilot technology when the car plowed through a T shape intersection. The accident led to her death while leaving her boyfriend Dillon Angulo gravely injured. 

The case was ongoing for four years where originally, $345 million were asked in damages by the plaintiffs. "Today's verdict represents justice for Naibel's tragic death and Dillon's lifelong injuries, holding Tesla and Musk accountable for propping up the company's trillion-dollar valuation with self-driving hype at the expense of human lives," said the plaintiffs' attorney Brett Schreiber in a statement shared with CBS News.

The decision comes amid Musk’s latest bid to push driverless taxis in several cities of America recently. Tesla released a statement to CBS claiming the verdict to be wrongful. 

Tesla had previously faced criticism for hiding crucial data related to the case with the opposition claiming the company either hid or lost key evidence, including data and video recorded seconds before the accident. Tesla had denied these claims. 

“Today’s verdict is wrong,” Tesla said in a statement, “and only works to set back automotive safety and jeopardize Tesla’s and the entire industry’s efforts to develop and implement lifesaving technology,” They said the plaintiffs concocted a story ”blaming the car when the driver – from day one – admitted and accepted responsibility,” AP reported.