Tesla rejected $60M settlement before losing $243M in deadly Autopilot crash case
Billionaire Elon Musk’s Tesla Rejects $60M Settlement in Fatal Autopilot Crash Lawsuit
Tesla, the electric vehicle company owned by Elon Musk, turned down a $60 million settlement offer in a lawsuit related to the 2019 fatal crash of a Tesla Model S equipped with Autopilot. Instead, a jury recently awarded a $243 million verdict in the case.
According to a court filing by the plaintiffs’ lawyers, the settlement proposal was disclosed in a federal court in Miami. They are now requesting legal fees from Tesla, citing Florida law.
The trial focused on a 2019 crash involving a Tesla Model S with Autopilot software, where the vehicle struck a parked Chevrolet Tahoe, resulting in a fatality and serious injuries.
Jurors awarded the estate of the deceased victim and the injured party a total of $129 million in compensatory damages and $200 million in punitive damages. Tesla was found liable for a portion of the compensatory damages and all of the punitive damages.
Tesla has denied any wrongdoing and plans to appeal the verdict, stating that it could hinder the progress of automotive safety technology. The plaintiffs’ lawyers claim this trial is the first involving the wrongful death of a third party due to Autopilot.
Similar lawsuits against Tesla regarding self-driving capabilities have either been resolved or dismissed before reaching trial.
