Cali jury decides 9-3 Muskmobile maker wasn’t at fault when Model 3 veered into tree and exploded
Tesla has prevailed in a crucial Autopilot death lawsuit in the US, with a jury today deciding the automaker’s software wasn’t at fault in a 2019 accident that killed a Model 3 owner and seriously injured two of passengers.
Returning a verdict nine to three in favor of Tesla not being at fault, jurors in the city of Riverside, California, decided if there were any defects in Autopilot, as alleged, they weren’t the cause of Micah Lee’s death when his Model 3 veered off a highway in east Los Angeles, a little over a month after he purchased it.
According to a third amended complaint [PDF] in the case against Tesla, Lee’s Model 3 veered sharply off the road at 65 MPH, crashing into a tree and bursting into flames. “Prior to impacting the palm tree, decedent Micah Lee attempted to, but could not, regain control,” the suit alleged.
“Had the vehicle’s Autopilot and/or Active Safety features operated properly, decedent Micah Lee’s death would have been avoided,” attorneys for the two surviving passengers claimed.
“Tesla’s Model 3’s Autopilot and/or Active Safety features were defective and not ready for market, yet Tesla and its CEO Elon Musk advertised, presented, and maintained it as if it was.
