On September 28th, a civil trial began in the United States, holding Tesla accountable for a fatal accident involving its self-driving assist feature, ‘Autopilot,’ according to Reuters. The trial, held in Riverside County, California, was initiated by the family of Mika Lee, who died while driving a Tesla Model 3 in 2019.
At the time of the accident, Mika Lee had engaged Autopilot and was traveling at a speed of 65 mph. Suddenly, the car veered off the highway and crashed into a tree, resulting in a significant fire. Mika Lee was killed in the incident, and two passengers, including an 8-year-old boy, were severely injured.
Was there a flaw in Autopilot, or was the drunk driver at fault?
The family of Mika Lee, who filed the lawsuit, claimed that Tesla sold the Autopilot to consumers, knowing it was flawed, and demanded compensation for the damage. On the first day of the trial, the plaintiff’s attorney argued that Tesla sold the Autopilot software, which was in beta testing in 2019, as a ‘Full Self-Driving’ package and that car companies should not sell experimental software to consumers.
However, Tesla immediately refuted these claims. It was unclear whether Autopilot was engaged at the time of the accident, and it was reported that Mika Lee had been drinking before driving. Lee’s blood alcohol level was 0.05%. Although this is lower than the legal limit in California of 0.08%, Tesla argued that the driver is still responsible, even if Autopilot was engaged.
The trial is expected to take several weeks due to the many points of contention between the two parties. This lawsuit, the first involving a death caused by a collision with Tesla’s self-driving assist system, drew significant attention. Furthermore, the company recently experienced an ‘earnings shock’ in the third quarter, and its stock price plummeted by more than 10% due to bad news related to the Cybertruck. If the court’s decision is unfavorable, it could be a significant blow to Tesla.
Hard to see a manufacturing defect in the vehicle… U.S. court sides with Tesla
However, according to Reuters and Bloomberg, on the 31st of last month, Tesla won the lawsuit. The jury in the trial in Riverside County, California, ruled favor of Tesla. The 12-member jury’s opinion was weighted 9 to 3 in favor of Tesla being not at fault, asserting that there was no manufacturing defect in the Tesla vehicle.
Tesla expressed satisfaction with the trial result, stating that “the jury’s conclusion was correct.” The plaintiff’s side reportedly showed disappointment. Previously, Tesla won a lawsuit related to injuries caused by collisions with Autopilot and FSD in Los Angeles in April, where it was revealed that the technology requires ‘monitoring’ by the driver. In that trial, the jury did not recognize Tesla’s liability for compensation, pointing to the driver’s negligence as the problem.
This trial was the first lawsuit related to a fatal accident involving Autopilot. Therefore, it is expected to influence the outcomes of similar lawsuits. Of course, there are other perspectives. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) believes that this lawsuit, which dealt with a ‘manufacturing defect in the vehicle’ rather than a ‘software defect’ in Autopilot, will have minimal impact on other lawsuits.
Moreover, Tesla still has some questions to answer. In 2016, Tesla posted an advertisement promoting Autopilot, in which the Model X appeared to drive itself. This video sparked criticism that Tesla had over-advertised Autopilot as capable of ‘Full Self-Driving,’ leading consumers to rely on the system.
Of course, Tesla clearly states in its software terms and manual that drivers are responsible for the vehicle when using Autopilot. However, it’s a fact that an advertisement can have a more substantial impact on the public than a written disclaimer. Therefore, to win future lawsuits, Tesla must be able to answer the remaining questions.
By. Lee Soo Hyun
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