Jury Rules Tesla Not Responsible in First Autopilot Fatality Lawsuit Trial

Jury decision supports Tesla's contention that human error, not Autopilot technology, caused 2019 California crash which killed driver Micah Lee and seriously injured two passengers, despite other pending lawsuits connecting Autopilot to fatal accidents.

The first lawsuit accusing Tesla's Autopilot technology of causing a fatal crash ended with a jury ruling in favor of Tesla, suggesting human error was to blame.
In the trial, survivors of the 2019 crash sought $400 million in damages, asserting that a defect in the Autopilot mode caused their Model 3 to sharply divert off the road.
Tesla countered these accusations, arguing that the driver, Micah Lee, had been drinking alcohol before driving and there was no proof that Autopilot had been activated prior to the crash.
Despite Tesla's victory, the company faces ongoing federal investigations into 17 deaths since June 2021 associated with potential defects in its Autopilot system.
The jury's decision could influence outcomes of future similar lawsuits, which could impact the public's perception of Autopilot's safety and reliability, despite Tesla's claims that this technology makes their cars the safest on the road.