"Tesla Wins Autopilot Fatality Lawsuit, No Manufacturing Defect Found"

Tesla won the first civil lawsuit filed over a fatal accident related to its autonomous driving assistance feature, 'Autopilot.'

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) and others, a California jury reached this verdict on the 31st (local time) at the Riverside County Court.

After about a month-long trial, the 12 jurors ruled 9 to 3 in favor of Tesla. The jury determined that there was no manufacturing defect in the Tesla vehicle involved in the accident. Accordingly, Tesla was found not liable for the accident compensation.

The lawsuit was filed by those involved in a 2019 accident while driving a Tesla Model 3 on the outskirts of Los Angeles. At the time, the vehicle collided with a tree, resulting in the death of Mika Lee, who was in the driver's seat, and two passengers sustained serious injuries. The plaintiffs demanded $400 million in damages, claiming Tesla knowingly sold consumers a vehicle with defects in Autopilot and other safety systems. On the other hand, Tesla countered by emphasizing that Lee had consumed alcohol before driving on the day of the accident and that it was unclear whether Autopilot was engaged at the time of the crash.

This ruling is the first judgment regarding a fatal accident occurring while Autopilot was engaged. It is expected to influence similar lawsuits in the future. WSJ reported, "Autopilot technology is under federal investigation and at the center of multiple lawsuits." However, the outlet added that since the jury's verdict addressed only manufacturing defects in a specific Tesla vehicle rather than issues with the overall design of the Autopilot system, the impact may be limited.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.