A Florida jury has instructed Tesla to pay more than $200 million in a groundbreaking verdict after a deadly crash that involved its Autopilot driver assistance system. The lawsuit, filed by the family of a woman killed in the 2019 accident, is one of the rare ones to actually make it to trial most others were dropped or settled quietly. The ruling will likely pave the way for a flood of similar complaints, just as Tesla is attempting to assure Americans that its autonomous technology can be trusted to function independently without interference from humans.
The accident, which happened as driver George Brian McGee ran through stop signs and into a parked Chevrolet Tahoe, killed Benavides Leon, 22, and gravely injured her boyfriend, Angulo. While McGee conceded he was distracted by his mobile phone, the jury concluded Tesla's Autopilot technology was also to blame, attributing 33% of responsibility to the company for not avoiding the crash. Tesla will be liable for about $42.5 million in compensatory damages and may face a further $200 million punitive damages but the company has indicated it will appeal.
In a blistering closing argument, the attorney for the plaintiffs charged Tesla with knowingly exaggerating Autopilot's capabilities, tricking drivers into overrelying on the system. There was also evidence presented that Tesla had concealed important crash data, only to have it revealed by an expert forensic analyst. The company responded that it did not intentionally conceal information, stating the exclusion was an error.
This decision comes at a difficult moment for Tesla, as Elon Musk strives to implement driverless taxi services nationwide. He recently stated that the latter half of the nation would be accessible by the end of the year, although the current pilot initiatives in Austin and San Francisco still need an attendant driver. Critics believe Friday's ruling could slow the pace for complete autonomy and challenge the company's wider safety assertions.
Lawyers think the verdict may change the landscape of AI-powered car responsibility. As Miguel Custodio, a personal injury lawyer not connected to the case, put it: "This verdict will open the floodgates." Other carmakers working on autonomous technology are paying attention, knowing that the distinction between human and machine liability is becoming less clear and more costly.
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