Elon Musk’s Tesla Inc is gearing up to defend itself against allegations that its Autopilot driver-assistant feature has been linked to fatal accidents, marking a significant legal challenge for the electric vehicle manufacturer.
Tesla is currently facing two trials, with the potential for more on the horizon. The first trial, a civil lawsuit, is scheduled for mid-September in a California state court. This lawsuit claims that Tesla’s Autopilot system led to an accident in which Micah Lee’s Model 3 veered off a highway east of Los Angeles, resulting in his death.
The lawsuit alleges that Tesla knowingly sold a car with defective safety systems. In the 2019 incident, the car was traveling at 65 miles per hour and crashed into a palm tree, resulting in Lee’s death and serious injuries to two other passengers, including an 8-year-old boy.
Second trial
The second trial is scheduled for October in a Florida state court. This case, also from 2019, alleges that Stephen Banner’s Model 3 drove under an 18-wheeler big rig truck, causing the Tesla’s roof to be sheared off and resulting in Banner’s death. According to the lawsuit filed by Banner’s wife, the Autopilot system failed to brake, steer, or take any action to avoid the collision.
Tesla has consistently denied liability in both accidents and has attributed them to driver error. The company has emphasized that there are no fully self-driving cars on the road currently and asserts that the Autopilot feature is safe when monitored by humans. In the Micah Lee case, Tesla also claimed that the driver was under the influence of alcohol.
According to Reuters, these civil proceedings could reveal new evidence about what Elon Musk and Tesla knew regarding the capabilities and limitations of the Autopilot feature.
A victory
In a previous trial in April, Tesla secured a victory, asserting that it had informed drivers that despite the names “Autopilot” and “Full Self-Driving,” the technology requires constant human monitoring.
Legal experts suggest that these upcoming cases hold significant stakes for Tesla. Matthew Wansley, former General Counsel at nuTonomy and currently an Associate Professor of Law at the Cardozo School of Law, believes that if Tesla prevails in these cases, it may lead to more favorable settlements in other cases. Bryant Walker Smith, a law professor at the University of South Carolina, points out that a substantial loss for Tesla, particularly one involving significant damages, could significantly impact the company’s narrative in future legal battles.
