A lawsuit alleging that Tesla's autonomous driving caused a fatal accident ruled that Tesla was not responsible, but faced further lawsuits and investigations



On October 31, 2023, a jury at California's Riverside County Superior Court ruled that ``Tesla is not to blame'' in a lawsuit filed alleging that electric car manufacturer Tesla's autonomous driving assistance system ``

Autopilot '' led to a fatal accident. 'The decision was made.

Tesla wins first US Autopilot trial involving fatal crash | Reuters
https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/tesla-wins-autopilot-trial-involving-fatal-crash-2023-10-31/

Tesla Autopilot not responsible for 2019 fatal crash, jury says | Ars Technica
https://arstechnica.com/cars/2023/10/tesla-autopilot-not-responsible-for-2019-fatal-crash-jury-says/

Tesla wins another court case by arguing fatal Autopilot crash was caused by human error - The Verge
https://www.theverge.com/2023/10/31/23940693/tesla-jury-autopilot-win-liable-micah-lee

This lawsuit stems from an accident in 2019 in which a Model 3 was traveling at approximately 105km/h on a California highway when it suddenly left its lane, collided with a roadside tree, and burst into flames.

As a result of this accident, the driver, Micah Lee, was killed and his two passengers, Lee's wife and son, were seriously injured. The plaintiff claimed that ``the autopilot was defective'' and was seeking $400 million (approximately 60 billion yen) in compensation and punitive damages from Tesla.

On the other hand, Tesla claimed that ``Mr. Lee had been drinking alcohol before the accident,'' and claimed that the collision was caused by human error. It also states, 'It is unknown whether Autopilot was engaged at the time of the collision.'

After four days of deliberation, a high court jury ruled that ``we cannot definitively say that Tesla's vehicles had manufacturing defects,'' and gave a verdict in favor of Tesla.



Jonathan Michaels, an attorney for the plaintiffs, said he was 'disappointed by this verdict,' but added, 'The fact that the jury has been deliberating for so long shows that the verdict remains uncertain. It suggests,” he said.

A Tesla spokesperson said, ``The jury's conclusions are accurate. There is nothing wrong with Tesla's vehicle design; it actually makes road conditions safer.''

This is the second time that Tesla has won a lawsuit over the autopilot's liability in a collision, with the plaintiff paying $3 million (approximately 400 million yen) because ``there was a defect in the design of the autopilot and the airbag.'' He was seeking compensation for damages. However, the jury determined that ``the plaintiff ignored Tesla's warning not to use Autopilot in the city,'' and dismissed the plaintiff's claim for damages in April 2023.

Tesla wins lawsuit over autopilot collision accident - GIGAZINE



Meanwhile, Tesla's Autopilot is being investigated by the California Attorney General's Office regarding ``Autopilot safety issues'' and ``complaints regarding deceptive advertising content,'' as well as a series of crashes. In response, the US Department of Justice is conducting an investigation into the claim that ``Tesla cars are capable of self-driving.''

Tesla targeted by Justice Department investigation over self-driving claims - GIGAZINE



Tesla also faces a variety of lawsuits, including a class action lawsuit alleging that it is ``exaggerating Autopilot's capabilities'' and a lawsuit related to a fatal Autopilot accident that occurred in 2016.

in Ride, Posted by log1r_ut