Tesla Inc, led by Elon Musk, is gearing up to defend itself for the first time against accusations that its Autopilot driver assistance feature contributed to the deaths of multiple individuals.
This impending trial, as reported by Reuters, stands as a pivotal challenge to the assertions made by Tesla’s Chief Executive Musk regarding the technology’s capabilities.
Tesla currently confronts two trials, with the likelihood of more to come. The initial lawsuit, a civil case, is set for mid-September in a California state court. This suit alleges that Tesla’s autopilot system was responsible for a fatal incident involving Micah Lee’s Model 3 vehicle, which veered off a highway near Los Angeles. The lawsuit asserts that Tesla knowingly sold the car with defective safety systems.
In 2019, the vehicle, traveling at 65 miles per hour, crashed into a palm tree within seconds, resulting in a fiery explosion that claimed Lee’s life and left the other two passengers, including an 8-year-old boy, severely injured.
The second trial, scheduled for October in a Florida state court, pertains to a similar event in 2019. Stephen Banner’s Model 3 collided with an 18-wheeler truck, causing the Tesla’s roof to be sheared off and resulting in the owner’s death. As per the lawsuit filed by his spouse, the autopilot feature failed to brake, steer, or take any action to prevent the collision.
Tesla has consistently denied responsibility for both incidents, attributing them to driver error. The company emphasizes that “there are no self-driving cars on the road today,” asserting that the Autopilot function is safe when supervised by humans. In the Lee case, Tesla also contended that the driver (Micah Lee) was under the influence of alcohol.
Reuters indicates that these legal proceedings are likely to unearth new evidence about what Musk and Tesla understood regarding the capabilities and shortcomings of the Autopilot feature.
Previously, in April, Tesla achieved victory in a bellwether trial, a representative case selected from a larger pool and tried first. During that trial, the company underscored that its drivers are informed that, despite the terms “Autopilot” and “Full Self-Driving,” human monitoring remains essential.
Experts anticipate high stakes for Tesla in these upcoming cases. According to Matthew Wansley, former General Counsel at nuTonomy and current Associate Professor of Law at the Cardozo School of Law, favorable outcomes in these cases could pave the way for more advantageous settlements in future lawsuits. Bryant Walker Smith, a law professor at the University of South Carolina, emphasizes that a significant loss for Tesla, particularly one involving substantial damages, could significantly influence the narrative moving forward.
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