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☆ Tesla wins first U.S. Autopilot trial involving fatal crash
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The jury verdict represents Tesla's second big win this year, in which juries have declined to find that its software was defective. The trial involved gruesome testimony about the passengers' injuries, and the plaintiffs asked the jury for $400 million plus punitive damages. The electric-vehicle maker also argued it was unclear whether Autopilot was engaged at the time of the crash. During the trial in Riverside, an attorney for the plaintiffs showed jurors a 2017 internal Tesla safety analysis identifying "incorrect steering command" as a defect, involving an "excessive" steering wheel angle. The automaker subsequently engineered a system that prevents Autopilot from executing the turn which caused the crash.

Persons: Tesla, Elon Musk, Micah Lee's, Lee, Matthew Wansley, Wansley Organizations: Tuesday, Court, Cardozo School of Law, Tesla, Reuters Locations: Tesla, California, Riverside County, Los Angeles, Riverside

The outcome in civil court shows Tesla arguments are gaining traction: when something goes wrong on the road, the ultimate responsibility rests with drivers. The electric-vehicle maker also argued it was unclear whether Autopilot was engaged at the time of the crash. During the Riverside trial, an attorney for the plaintiffs showed jurors a 2017 internal Tesla safety analysis identifying "incorrect steering command" as a defect, involving an "excessive" steering wheel angle. The automaker subsequently engineered a system that prevents Autopilot from executing the turn which caused the crash. "I think that anyone is going to have a hard time beating Tesla in court on a liability claim," he said.

Persons: Tesla, Elon Musk, Micah Lee's, Lee, Bryant Walker Smith, Matthew Wansley, Wansley, Eloy Rubio Blanco, Rubio, Sam Abuelsamid, Dan Levine, Hyunjoo Jin, Jonathan Oatis, Richard Chang Organizations: Tesla, Tuesday, Court, Reuters, University of South, Cardozo School of Law, U.S . Department of Justice, Traffic, Administration, Thomson Locations: Riverside County, Los Angeles, University of South Carolina, Riverside

The lawsuit, filed against Tesla by the passengers and Lee's estate, accuses Tesla of knowing that Autopilot and other safety systems were defective when it sold the car. Autopilot failed to brake, steer or do anything to avoid the collision, according to the lawsuit filed by Banner's wife. Tesla denied liability for both accidents, blamed driver error and said Autopilot is safe when monitored by humans. Tesla said in court documents that drivers must pay attention to the road and keep their hands on the steering wheel. "Elon Musk has acknowledged problems with the Tesla autopilot system not working properly," according to plaintiffs' documents.

Persons: Casey, Elon, Musk, Tesla, Micah Lee’s, Lee, Stephen Banner’s, Banner's, Reuters ’, Matthew Wansley, Bryant Walker Smith, Jonathan Michaels, we're, Christopher Moore, Adam, Nicklas, Gustafsson, Elon Musk, Richard Baverstock, Trey, Lytal, Dan Levine, Hyunjoo Jin, Peter Henderson, Grant McCool Organizations: Tesla, China International Consumer Products, REUTERS, FRANCISCO, Tesla Inc, Reuters, Cardozo School of Law, University of South, Thomson Locations: Haikou, Hainan province, China, California, Los Angeles, Florida, Miami, University of South Carolina, San Francisco

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