Tesla could have avoided that $242.5M Autopilot verdict, filings show

In a surprising turn of events, Tesla had the opportunity to settle a lawsuit for $60 million months prior to a jury awarding $242.5 million against the automaker for its role in a 2019 crash. This information has surfaced in recent legal documents reported by Reuters. In May, the settlement offer was made public as part of a filing requesting that Tesla cover the legal expenses incurred by the plaintiffs. The lawsuit revolved around a tragic incident in which a Tesla Model S, operating under its Autopilot feature, failed to brake in time and collided with a Chevrolet Tahoe. At the time of the accident, the victims, Neima Benavides Leon and her boyfriend Dillon Angulo, were standing outside the vehicle when the crash occurred. Leon lost her life, while Angulo sustained severe injuries. A federal jury in Miami determined that Tesla bore part of the blame for the accident, assigning two-thirds of the fault to the driver, who was not part of this lawsuit but is facing separate legal action. The jury concluded that Tesla was one-third responsible for the incident, resulting in the substantial $242.5 million verdict. Following the verdict, Tesla announced its intentions to appeal, citing significant legal errors and irregularities that occurred during the trial. TechCrunch has reached out to the attorneys representing the plaintiffs and Tesla for comments. An external public relations firm that previously communicated on behalf of Tesla declined to provide additional information, redirecting inquiries to the company's press contact. Notably, Tesla has not maintained a formal communications team since a reorganization several years ago. The lawsuit, identified as case 1:21-cv-21940-BB, was initiated in 2021 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.