San Francisco: In a landmark ruling, a U.S. federal jury has ordered Elon Musk-led electric car manufacturer Tesla to pay over $240 million (approx. ₹2,100 crore) in damages over a 2019 crash involving its Autopilot driver assistance technology. The decision marks one of the largest-ever jury awards in a case involving autonomous vehicle technology.
The crash claimed the life of 22-year-old Naibel Benavides Leon, who, along with her partner Dylan Angulo, was struck late at night by a Tesla Model 3 while standing by the roadside gazing at the stars. Leon died on the spot, while Angulo suffered severe injuries. The driver of the Tesla admitted to being distracted by his phone, but the jury found Tesla’s Autopilot system partially responsible for the tragedy.
According to court records, the jury awarded $200 million in punitive damages, $59 million in compensatory damages to Leon’s family, and $70 million to Angulo. The verdict acknowledged that despite driver distraction, Tesla’s Autopilot technology failed to function reliably, and the company cannot escape accountability.
The judgment underscores a key point: Tesla may be held morally and legally responsible for failures in its driver-assist technologies, even if human error is involved. Unlike in previous incidents where the company settled out of court or had cases dismissed early, this ruling sets a precedent and could embolden more victims to seek justice through legal channels.
This comes at a critical time, as Elon Musk plans to roll out Tesla’s driverless taxi service in select cities by year-end. While Tesla has reportedly upgraded its Autopilot system since 2019, the ruling raises fresh concerns over the real-world reliability of its self-driving technology.
