Court filings reveal Tesla rejected a $60M settlement before a jury awarded $242.5M over a fatal 2019 Autopilot crash.
Tesla had the opportunity to settle for $60 million months before the $242.5 million verdict that a jury rendered against the automaker for its involvement in a fatal collision in 2019. Reuters was the first to disclose that Tesla rejected the offer, as indicated by new legal filings.
The filing requesting Tesla to cover the plaintiffs’ legal fees in the case disclosed the settlement proposal submitted in May.
A jury in federal court in Miami earlier this month determined that Tesla was partially responsible for a fatal 2019 collision that involved the use of the company’s Autopilot driver assistance system.
A Tesla Model S with Autopilot engaged collided with a Chevrolet Tahoe at an intersection, resulting in the death of one individual.
Neima Benavides Leon and her companion, Dillon Angulo, were standing on the shoulder outside the vehicle at the time of the accident. Leon was fatally wounded, and Angulo sustained grievous injuries.
The motorist, who was not a defendant in this case, was sued separately for his responsibility. The lawsuit against Tesla in 2021 focused on Autopilot, which was activated but failed to apply the brakes in time to prevent it from passing through the intersection.
The jury attributed one-third of the responsibility to Tesla and two-thirds to the driver. The jury awarded $242.5 million as part of its verdict.
Tesla announced its intention to appeal the verdict in a statement issued to TechCrunch earlier this month, citing the “substantial errors of law and irregularities at trial.”
TechCrunch has contacted Tesla and the plaintiffs’ counsel. An external public relations firm that had previously issued statements on Tesla’s behalf declined to respond and instead directed TechCrunch to the company’s press address. Tesla’s communications staff was terminated several years ago.
In 2021, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida filed the lawsuit, case 1:21-cv-21940-BB.
