Tesla resolves two lawsuits over Autopilot in California following a legal setback in Florida
Tesla Settles Two California Lawsuits Over Autopilot-Related Crashes
In a series of recent developments, Tesla has reached settlements in two separate lawsuits in California involving fatal accidents caused by its Autopilot system. These settlements come just weeks after the company was hit with a $243 million judgment in a Florida court over a similar case.
The first California case dates back to 2019, when a Tesla vehicle on Autopilot crashed into a Honda Civic, resulting in the death of two people. The details of the settlement have not been disclosed.
The second California case involved a crash on interstate 880 in August 2019, where Benjamin Maldonado Escudero's car was rear-ended by a Tesla Model 3. Escudero's car rolled over and crashed into the highway's center barrier wall, and his son was killed after being ejected from the vehicle. The size of the settlement in this case was also not disclosed.
The trial in the second California case had not begun as of the time the news reports were published. There were motions to compel or block testimony by certain witnesses in this case, but the details of these motions are not publicly available.
Tesla received no comment from the auto maker after media services contacted them regarding the settlements. An article in Insurance Journal described the recent settlements as Tesla's "first significant setback" since the Florida verdict, which was the company's first significant loss in a court case related to Autopilot.
The Insurance Journal article also mentioned a Tesla victory from 2023 in a case involving a 2019 crash in Los Angeles County. In this case, the driver of a car, Kevin George Aziz Riad, was charged with manslaughter and ultimately pleaded no contest, receiving two years' probation. The driver of the Tesla in this case, Romeo Yalung, had his vehicle in Autopilot mode and was unable to control, brake, slow, or avoid the collision.
In addition to the California cases, Tesla was victorious in two other lawsuits in 2023 involving crashes and allegations of out-of-control Autopilot operations. One of these settlements is with the family of a teenager killed in a crash involving a Tesla car operating on Autopilot.
The Florida verdict against Tesla in August 2022, involving a crash that alleged the Autopilot system failed to brake and accelerated through an intersection, is the most high-profile case against Tesla related to its Autopilot system to date. The details of this case are still being reported, but it marks a significant setback for Tesla in its efforts to promote the safety and reliability of its Autopilot system.
Both settlements were reported by several media outlets and occurred recently, adding to the ongoing debate about the safety and reliability of autonomous driving technology. As Tesla continues to push the boundaries of what is possible with autonomous driving, it will be important for the company to address concerns about the safety of its technology and work to prevent similar accidents from happening in the future.
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