Tesla and Musk Knew About Autopilot Issue: ‘Reasonable Evidence’ Found

U.S. Court’s Decision on Tesla’s Knowledge of Autopilot Flaws

A U.S. court has made a preliminary ruling that Tesla, the electric vehicle company, seemed to have known about the flaws in its self-driving assistant feature, ‘Autopilot,’ in a lawsuit related to a fatal accident.

According to Reuters and Bloomberg on the 22nd (local time), Judge Reed Scott of the Palm Beach County Circuit Court in Florida allowed the family of Steven Banner, a traffic accident victim and former owner of a Tesla vehicle, to seek punitive damages on the 17th.

This is interpreted as the judge’s decision that the jury could order punitive damages if they conclude Tesla’s fault as the cause of the accident, as the plaintiff, the family of Steven Banner, provided sufficient evidence of Tesla’s illegal actions and gross negligence.

Judge’s Notable Observations

Under Florida law, individuals can pursue punitive damages if they prove intentional illegal actions or gross negligence. The compensation amount can reach billions of dollars.

The family member, who died in an accident when a Tesla Model 3 driving with Autopilot collided with a large truck’s trailer in north Miami in 2019, brought this lawsuit. They are claiming Tesla’s responsibility for the accident.

Judge Scott pointed out that this accident is “chillingly similar” to an Autopilot accident that occurred in 2016. In 2016, a fatal accident occurred when the Autopilot system failed to detect a truck crossing in front, and the vehicle rushed under the trailer.

Judge Scott ruled, “It is reasonable to conclude that Tesla’s CEO and engineers were seriously aware of Autopilot’s traffic detection failure issue.”

He also pointed out Tesla’s 2016 video showing the vehicle driving without driver intervention to advertise Autopilot, adding, “There are no signs in this video that show a desire for (autonomous driving) or that this technology does not currently exist in the market.”

Furthermore, Judge Scott found evidence that Tesla used a “marketing strategy that describes the product (Autopilot) as autonomous,” and the public statements of CEO Musk about this technology significantly influenced belief in the product’s capabilities.

The court has not yet set the jury verdict schedule.

Tesla’s Recent Legal Challenges

Tesla won the first fatal accident civil lawsuit held in California at the end of last month. However, it faces another crisis with this trial in Florida. If Tesla loses, experts expect it to continue affecting similar lawsuits in the future.

Meanwhile, as these concerns grow among Tesla investors, Tesla’s stock price closed at $234.21 on the New York Stock Exchange that day, down 2.90% from the previous day.

By. Ahn Yoo Jin