Fri, 29 Aug 2025

Fri, 29 Aug 2025 Tesla asks court to throw out fatal crash verdict

Carmaker asks judge to overturn $243m verdict in fatal Autopilot crash case.
Tesla has filed an appeal with a federal court in Florida, seeking to overturn a verdict that found the company partially liable for a 2019 car crash that killed a pedestrian and severely injured another. The company claims the driver was at fault, not its Autopilot software, and argues that the $243m damages award is excessive. Tesla's lawyers contend that automakers cannot be held responsible for the actions of reckless drivers. However, the victims' lawyers argue that Tesla misrepresented the capabilities of Autopilot and contributed to the crash. The jury awarded the victims a total of $329m in damages, including $200m in punitive damages intended to deter Tesla from engaging in similar behavior in the future. Tesla's appeal is based on claims that the verdict was flawed and that the jury was influenced by irrelevant evidence, including statements made by Elon Musk.
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