On May 30 Tesla was given the opportunity to settle a case involving a fatal crash of an Autopilot-equipped Tesla Model S for $60 million. The company refused. According to a report by Reuters, a jury ordered Tesla to pay $243 million instead.
The case stems from an April 2019 crash. Naibel Benavides Leon and her boyfriend Dillon Angulo were standing beside their Chevrolet Tahoe that was parked on the shoulder of the road. A 2019 Model S featuring Autopilot driver-assistance software struck the parked Tahoe. Naibel Benavides Leon was killed. Her boyfriend was seriously injured.
After rejecting the previous settlement, Tesla went to trial. According to court documents, on August 1 the jury ordered Tesla to pay $242,570,000 to settle the case. That is nearly $183 million more than the original settlement offer. The estate of Naibel Benavides and Dillon Angulo were awarded a combined $129 million in compensatory damages, plus $200 million in punitive damages. Tesla was held liable for 33 percent of the compensatory damages. That comes to $42.6 million. Tesla is also liable for 100 percent of the punitive damages.
The jury found that the driver of the Tesla was responsible for 67 percent of the compensatory damages. However, the driver of the Model S was not a defendant in this case.
Tesla intends to appeal the decision and denies any wrongdoing in the case. Tesla, for its part, said that the verdict “only works to set back automotive safety and jeopardize Tesla’s and the entire industry’s efforts to develop and implement life-saving technology.”
This is not the first time that Tesla has been named in a lawsuit involving their vehicles with Autopilot driver-assistance software. Previous cases were either dismissed or settled before going to trial.
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