"Months before a jury awarded a $242.5 million verdict against Tesla over its culpability in a 2019 fatal crash, the automaker had a chance to settle for $60 million. Instead, Tesla rejected that offer, according to new legal filings that were first reported by Reuters. The settlement proposal, which was made in May, was disclosed in a filing that requested Tesla cover legal fees for the plaintiffs in the case."
"Earlier this month, a jury in federal court in Miami found Tesla partly to blame for a fatal 2019 crash that involved the use of the company's Autopilot driver assistance system. One person was killed when a Tesla Model S with Autopilot engaged plowed through an intersection and hit a Chevrolet Tahoe. The crash victims, Neima Benavides Leon and her boyfriend Dillon Angulo, were standing outside the vehicle on the shoulder at the time. Leon was killed while Angulo was severely injured."
"The driver, who was not a defendant in this case, was sued separately for his responsibility. The lawsuit filed in 2021 against Tesla centered on Autopilot, which was engaged but did not brake in time to avoid going through the intersection. The jury assigned the driver two-thirds of the blame and attributed one-third to Tesla. As part of the verdict, the jury awarded the $242.5 million verdict as part of its decision. Tesla, in a statement provided to TechCrunch earlier this month, said it plans to appeal the verdict "given the substantial errors of law and irregularities at trial.""
Tesla rejected a $60 million settlement offer months before a jury awarded $242.5 million after finding the company partly responsible for a 2019 fatal crash. The crash occurred when a Tesla Model S with Autopilot engaged plowed through an intersection, killing Neima Benavides Leon and severely injuring Dillon Angulo, who were standing on the shoulder. The jury attributed two-thirds fault to the driver and one-third to Tesla. The lawsuit was filed in 2021 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. Tesla said it will appeal, citing substantial legal errors and trial irregularities. An outside PR firm declined to comment and directed inquiries to the company's press address; Tesla disbanded its communications team.
Read at TechCrunch
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