Tesla 'loses' the court case that carmakers across the world have been closely watching; to appeal the verdict; claim lawyers misled jury on Elon Musk

Tesla is challenging a $243 million court verdict, arguing that the opposing lawyers misled the jury by focusing on CEO Elon Musk. The company filed a motion in a Miami federal court, seeking to either overturn the verdict, secure a new trial, or significantly reduce the damages awarded. The case involves a fatal 2019 crash where a 22-year-old student, Naibel Benavides, was killed. The victim's family and her boyfriend, Dillon Angulo, were awarded compensatory and punitive damages. Although the jury found the driver of the Tesla to be mostly at fault, it also assigned significant blame to Tesla's Autopilot technology.“If the verdict is allowed to stand, it will chill innovation, harm road safety and invite future juries to punish manufacturers who bring new safety features to market,” the company said in the filing.This trial has been closely monitored by the carmakers across the world as companies race to develop self-driving features. Carmakers fear that the verdict could set a precedent, holding them liable for accidents even when drivers are acting recklessly. In its filing, Tesla stated that if the verdict stands, it could "chill innovation, harm road safety, and invite future juries to punish manufacturers who bring new safety features to market."

Tesla says opposing lawyers misled court on Elon Musk

Tesla claims that the opposing lawyers "led the jury astray" with "highly prejudicial but irrelevant evidence." This included suggesting that Tesla had intentionally hidden or lost video and data related to the crash. Although Tesla admitted to a mistake in not providing the evidence sooner, it maintains the omission was not deliberate.The company also argued that its technology had no role in the crash. In contrast, the plaintiffs' lawyers contended that Tesla's use of the term "Autopilot" was intentionally misleading, as the system only provides driver assistance and is not fully autonomous. They noted that other automakers use less ambiguous terms like "driver assist" or "copilot."The lawsuit went to trial after Tesla refused a $60 million settlement offer from the plaintiffs. The final jury award was more than four times that amount. The driver of the Tesla had previously settled with the victims' families in a separate agreement.