How a Dropped Phone Led to a $243 Million Verdict Against Tesla | Carscoops

      A jury has found Tesla partially liable, and the automaker intends to appeal.

      Tesla may be facing a payment of $242.5 million following a fatal accident allegedly linked to its Autopilot features. The incident, which took place in 2019, resulted in the death of a woman and serious injuries to her boyfriend. The company intends to contest the ruling, asserting that the driver was accelerating, which interfered with the Autopilot systems.

      Tesla has finally introduced its robotaxi service, but it has encountered a significant setback as a jury determined that the company shares responsibility for a fatal accident involving Autopilot. This case has been progressing through the legal system for years and has culminated in $329 million in damages.

      The lawsuit, filed in the Southern District of Florida, involves George McGee, who was operating a 2019 Tesla Model S that had Autopilot enabled. According to CNBC, McGee dropped his phone and reached to pick it up, trusting that the vehicle would brake if it faced an obstacle.

      However, the car reportedly accelerated to over 60 mph (97 km/h) and collided with a parked Chevrolet Tahoe. The SUV subsequently struck and killed Benavides Leon, while also critically injuring Dillon Angulo, who is said to have suffered multiple fractures and a traumatic brain injury.

      While the crash was undeniably tragic, the key issue was determining fault. Ultimately, the jury deemed Tesla to be 33% responsible, which means the automaker is reportedly liable for $42.5 million in compensatory damages, along with an additional $200 million in punitive damages. This outcome suggests that the jury was influenced by claims that Tesla exaggerated the capabilities of Autopilot.

      Tesla plans to appeal the verdict and issued a detailed statement stating, “Today’s verdict is incorrect and undermines automotive safety.” The company asserted that there were “significant legal errors and irregularities during [the] trial.”

      Notably, Tesla contended that “evidence has consistently indicated that this driver was entirely at fault due to speeding, with his foot on the accelerator – overriding Autopilot – while searching for his dropped phone without watching the road. To clarify, no vehicle in 2019, nor any today, could have averted this crash.” The automaker added that the case was “never about Autopilot” but rather “a narrative fabricated by plaintiffs’ attorneys attributing blame to the vehicle when the driver – from the very beginning – acknowledged and accepted responsibility.”

      The final outcome of this situation remains uncertain, but if the appeals process does not favor Tesla, it could have serious repercussions for the company.