Posted on 08/02/2025 6:23:50 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
A Miami jury decided that Elon Musk’s car company Tesla was partly responsible for a deadly crash in Florida involving its Autopilot driver assist technology and must pay the victims more than $200 million in punitive damages.
The federal jury held that Tesla bore significant responsibility because its technology failed and that not all the blame can be put on a reckless driver, even one who admitted he was distracted by his cell phone before hitting a young couple out gazing at the stars. The decision comes as Musk seeks to convince Americans his cars are safe enough to drive on their own as he plans to roll out a driverless taxi service in several cities in the coming months.
The decision ends a four-year long case remarkable not just in its outcome but that it even made it to trial. Many similar cases against Tesla have been dismissed and, when that didn't happen, settled by the company to avoid the spotlight of a trial.
“This will open the floodgates,” said Miguel Custodio, a car crash lawyer not involved in the Tesla case. “It will embolden a lot of people to come to court.”
The case also included startling charges by lawyers for the family of the deceased, 22-year-old, Naibel Benavides Leon, and for her injured boyfriend, Dillon Angulo. They claimed Tesla either hid or lost key evidence, including data and video recorded seconds before the accident.
(Excerpt) Read more at channel3000.com ...
'It's a big number that will send shockwaves to others in the industry,' said financial analyst Dan Ives of Wedbush Securities. 'It's not a good day for Tesla.'
Tesla said it will appeal."
Nobody’s life is worth $200 million. Not even mine!
Anti-Elon Musk animus at work in a Democrat City.
Rather like the limited liability lobbying of the pharmaceuticals and more....
"Safe and effective" Waymo (Google) and beyond....
Yup, its why attorneys make sure the juries on these trials are composed of the most gullible people
The award is ridiculous. This needs to be stopped.
Idiots. This isn’t just an “anti-Tesla” ruling, although clearly it is.
Other than the outrageous penalty, it’s a red flag to EVERY automaker regarding ADAS features that save lives. If this is how the courts are going to rule, the ‘road to reduce deaths’ via ADAS systems will come to a complete halt. Every automaker is adding such systems, while simultaneously, States are cracking down with smartphone usage laws.
If they’re admitting that the driver was distracted with a cellphone, Tesla must win on appeal.
I’ve always wished that they made the juries pay what they award to people. Gotta get these damn ‘AWARDS’ under control. $249 million! Get outta town.
lawsuits like this were inevitable for any form of “self-driving” car, regardless of who made it, and eventually will kill the whole nonsense of “self-driving” cars ...
“ Nobody’s life is worth $200 million. Not even mine!”
************************************************
True but the call of OTHER-PEOPLE’S-MONEY is irresistible to many. It’s FREE, don’t cha know.
Anybody that uses autopilot has no need for a car hire a ride everyone else is safer.
What people do when autopilot is on knit darn socks cell phone games text lazy has it’s limits.
Tesla's usual strategy is to negotiate an out-of-court settlement with a keep-your-mouth-shut clause, and the whole thing will be swept under the floormat.
The damages are clearly excessive. Punitive damages should be banned as an attempt to levy fines without the procedural protections afforded in criminal cases.
First of all, nobody is worth that much.
Second, maybe Tesla should give up on the idea of self-driving cars. It doesn’t seem to be working out well all the time. Risk being the product of probability and consequence, the risk does not appear worth the trouble.
Exactly. The liability issue has always looked large to me. Juries will sock it way harder to a big company than on Mr Smith who hit the gas instead of the brake.
Who goes to prison for reckless driving? The software engineers? The CEOs?
Good!
“lawsuits like this were inevitable for any form of “self-driving” car, regardless of who made it, and eventually will kill the whole nonsense of “self-driving” cars ...”
I’m sure if you would have been around when indoor plumbing was invented you would have said “I’m not going to crap inside my own home!”. Self driving car technology has the potential to save many thousands of lives. This outrageous award is punishing a car company for helping to develop that technology. Lawyers kill more people than self driving cars.
Oh goody. A human being is nothing but a monetary asset. God is impressed.
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