Tesla is being sued and is expected to pay 60 million as a settlement. However, the final judgment is significantly more expensive than the settlement. Yet, Tesla does not want to pay 243 million dollars either. This is a case that has been ongoing since 2019.
What kind of case is this? A Tesla Model S and its Autopilot driver assistance software were involved in a fatal accident: The driver’s Tesla crashed into a parked Chevrolet Tahoe that was standing next to the vehicle on the shoulder. One of the two people in the parked car died in the accident, and a second person was seriously injured.
The family of the deceased person sued Tesla after the accident in April 2019, holding the Autopilot responsible for the fatal accident.
Tesla does not want to pay the settlement of 60 million, final court judgment is 243 million
How did the case proceed in court? The manufacturer Tesla was reportedly offered a settlement. Point of contention: 60 million US dollars (about 51 million euros). However, Tesla is said to have rejected the settlement according to the court. The plaintiff’s lawyers presented the settlement proposal in a lawsuit before the federal court in Miami, Florida, as part of a request for reimbursement of attorney’s fees from Tesla.
In August, the jury then rendered the final verdict on the court case: Tesla is to pay a penalty of 243 million US dollars (about 210 million US dollars). This was reported by the English-language magazine Reuters:
- The plaintiff is entitled to 129 million US dollars in damages, of which Tesla is to cover 33%. That amounts to 42.6 million US dollars
- Additionally, there are 200 million US dollars in punitive damages that Tesla must pay in full.
How does Tesla respond? Tesla has denied any wrongdoing and stated that the ruling “negatively affects traffic safety and jeopardizes the efforts of Tesla and the entire industry to develop and implement life-saving technologies.” Tesla has announced plans to appeal. The company argues that the accident was solely due to driver error.
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