Tesla moved to overturn a $243 million verdict after a deadly crash in which a 22-year-old stargazing student was killed when a runaway Tesla with Autopilot flung her into the air. A jury found the speeding driver mostly to blame but also held Tesla responsible for faulty technology. Tesla argues that opposing lawyers misled the jury by improperly invoking Elon Musk and by introducing prejudicial, allegedly irrelevant evidence about missing or recovered video and data. Tesla says its failure to produce some evidence was a mistake and warns the verdict could chill innovation and harm road safety.
The car company run by Elon Musk asked a federal court Friday to dismiss massive damages awarded to victims of a deadly crash, arguing that their lawyers had misled the jury by improperly bringing up the billionaire during the trial. The filing in Miami federal court seeks to overturn the $243 million award after a 22-year old student out stargazing was flung through the air to her death by a runaway Tesla equipped with Autopilot features that Musk had talked up for years.
The case has been watched closely by carmakers racing to develop fully self-driving features. They fear it could portend massive liability risks should future juries reviewing accidents decide carmakers are also to blame even when drivers act recklessly. "If the verdict is allowed to stand, it will chill innovation, harm road safety and invite future juries to punish manufacturers who bring new safety features to market," the company said in the filing.
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