Months prior to a jury’s decision to award a $242.5 million verdict against Tesla for its involvement in a fatal 2019 crash, the electric car maker had the opportunity to settle for $60 million. However, Tesla turned down this offer, as per recent legal filings revealed by Reuters.
The settlement proposal, presented in May, was disclosed in a filing requesting Tesla to cover the legal fees for the plaintiffs in the case.
In a recent ruling by a federal court jury in Miami, Tesla was found partially accountable for a tragic 2019 accident involving the use of its Autopilot driver assistance system. The incident resulted in the death of one individual when a Tesla Model S, operating on Autopilot, collided with a Chevrolet Tahoe at an intersection. The victims, Neima Benavides Leon and Dillon Angulo, were outside their vehicle on the shoulder at the time of the crash. Unfortunately, Leon lost her life, while Angulo sustained severe injuries.
The driver, who was not part of this specific case, faced separate legal action for his role in the accident. The lawsuit filed against Tesla in 2021 focused on the Autopilot system, which failed to brake in time to prevent the collision at the intersection. The jury attributed two-thirds of the blame to the driver and one-third to Tesla, resulting in the $242.5 million verdict.
Following the verdict, Tesla expressed its intention to appeal the decision, citing significant legal errors and irregularities during the trial, as reported by TechCrunch earlier this month.
Efforts to reach out to the plaintiffs’ legal representatives and Tesla for comments were unfruitful, as an external PR agency declined to provide any statements on behalf of Tesla, redirecting inquiries to the company’s press contact. Notably, Tesla had dissolved its communications team several years prior.
The lawsuit, identified as case 1:21-cv-21940-BB, was filed in 2021 at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
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