Tesla Defends Autopilot Malfunction Lawsuit, Jury Sides with EV Company After Deliberation

Isaiah Richard, Tech Times 21 April 2023, 09:04 pm

The lawsuit against Tesla from Los Angeles back in 2020 has finally seen its conclusion now and its sides with the electric vehicle company amidst the scrutiny against its Autopilot tech. The jury's final deliberation was not moved or convinced by the victim's claims regarding the past incident from 2019, hence siding with Tesla on this case.

Tesla is facing multiple cases and probes behind the capabilities and technology of the Autopilot, as well as the Full-Self Driving tech for their issues and accidents that took place.

(Photo : Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)

Tesla Defends Autopilot Lawsuit from 2020, Emerges the Winner

In a recent landmark decision, Tesla emerged victorious in a lawsuit that was filed against the company in Los Angeles in 2020.

The case involved a harrowing incident that took place in 2019 when a Tesla owner, Justine Hsu, experienced a life-threatening crash while using the Autopilot feature, resulting in serious injuries. However, after careful deliberation, the jury ultimately sided with Tesla, ruling in favor of the electric car manufacturer, says Reuters in a report.

The incident in question occurred when Hsu was driving her Tesla Model S on a winding road in Los Angeles, relying on the Autopilot feature to assist with navigation. Unexpectedly, the Autopilot malfunctioned and steered the vehicle off the road, sending it down a cliff. The airbags also deployed improperly, causing Hsu to sustain severe injuries, including a broken jaw, lost teeth, facial injuries, hand injuries, and leg injuries.

The jury did not Believe Victim's Claims says Report

Hsu sought as much as $3 million from Tesla for the damages that occurred in 2019, but the court ultimately rejected this as Tesla also argued that the plaintiff used the Autopilot on city streets. Moreover, the jury did not believe that the airbags of the Model S "failed" to deploy properly, with Tesla also disclosing the facts of the accident with its data.

Additionally, Tesla presented compelling evidence that the Autopilot system was designed to operate as a driver-assist feature and not as a fully autonomous driving system.

Tesla and its Autopilot Issues

In the past years, there have been growing reports regarding the company's autonomous driving systems malfunctioning or being faulty, resulting in accidents and problems.

While Musk and the Tesla team claim that its Autopilot and FSD are still the safest driving systems available in the world, the NHTSA also claims that these technologies from the company are "less likely to crash."

As autonomous driving technology continues to evolve, it is essential for drivers to understand the capabilities and limitations of these features and to use them responsibly. With the continued advancement of autonomous driving technology, further legal cases and debates around responsibility and liability will likely arise.

Tesla's recent legal victory in the lawsuit filed by Justine Hsu in Los Angeles is a stellar win for the company, with its findings giving both sides a fair chance in what truly happened before, and deliberating based on what transpired in court.