Jury finds Tesla autopilot not at fault in $3 million crash lawsuit

A California state court jury recently ruled in favour of Elon Musk-led Tesla, finding that the electric vehicle maker's Autopilot feature did not fail in what appeared to be the first trial related to a crash involving the partially automated driving software. The lawsuit was brought by Justine Hsu, who alleged that her Tesla Model S swerved into a curb while on Autopilot, causing severe injuries. Hsu alleged that there were design flaws in both the Autopilot system and the airbag, and as a result, she sought compensation of over $3 million in damages.

Despite the plaintiff's claim that Tesla's Autopilot feature was defective and caused her accident, the jury awarded zero damages to Hsu and found no evidence of intentional nondisclosure of facts by Tesla. Additionally, the jury determined that the airbag functioned as intended and did not pose any safety concerns. Tesla, on its part, refuted any responsibility for the incident and highlighted that Hsu had used the Autopilot system on city roads, despite clear warnings in the user manual advising against such use.

Tesla's Autopilot and more advanced "Full Self-Driving (FSD)" system have drawn regulatory and legal scrutiny, as the company has been testing and rolling out the technology. CEO Elon Musk has touted FSD as crucial to Tesla's future, but the company faces numerous legal challenges related to the technology.

The Hsu case underwent a lengthy three-week trial that included testimony from three Tesla engineers. As Tesla faces a barrage of impending legal battles regarding its semi-automated driving system, CEO Elon Musk continues to assert that the technology is safer than human drivers. However, despite the Autopilot and Full Self-Driving labels, Tesla maintains that these features do not render cars fully autonomous, and drivers must remain vigilant and ready to take control at all times. The Autopilot system was first introduced by Tesla in 2015, with the first fatal accident involving the technology reported in the US in 2016.

Although the verdict in the Hsu case is not legally binding for future cases, experts believe it serves as a bellwether to guide the strategies of both Tesla and plaintiffs' lawyers. The outcome of this trial may offer insights into how similar cases may unfold and be perceived by juries in the future. The US Justice Department is investigating Tesla's claims about self-driving capabilities, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is probing the safety of the technology.

Despite the favourable outcome in the Hsu trial, some experts caution that Tesla's technology is "far from becoming fully autonomous" despite Musk's repeated promises over the years. "When fatalities are involved, and they are on highways, jury perspectives can be different," said Raj Rajkumar, professor of electrical and computer engineering at Carnegie Mellon University. "While Tesla won this battle, they may end up losing the war," he said.

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