In a landmark trial that marked the first collision case involving Tesla Inc.’s Autopilot feature, a California state court jury has delivered a verdict in favor of the electric vehicle manufacturer. The plaintiff, Justine Hsu, filed a lawsuit against Tesla in 2020, alleging that her Tesla Model S collided with a curb while on Autopilot, causing injuries and claiming damages exceeding $3 million.
Tesla firmly denied any liability in the incident and argued that Hsu had misused the Autopilot system by employing it on city streets, disregarding the clear warnings against doing so, as outlined in the user manual.
After careful consideration of the evidence and arguments presented during the trial, the jury ruled in favor of Tesla, awarding Hsu zero dollars in damages. Furthermore, the jury found that the airbag in the vehicle had not failed to perform reliably and that Tesla had not intentionally withheld any critical information.
Central to the jury’s decision was the acknowledgment that Tesla had explicitly cautioned users that the Autopilot was not a fully autonomous self-piloting system. Instead, it is a partially automated driving software that requires the driver’s attention and readiness to take control at any moment. The jury attributed the collision to driver distraction, rather than any deficiency in Tesla’s technology.
While this victory is seen as a significant triumph for Tesla, some experts caution that it might not set a definitive precedent for future cases. Autopilot and Full Self-Driving (FSD) systems, according to Tesla, are not entirely autonomous, and drivers must remain vigilant and prepared to intervene if necessary.
It is worth noting that the outcome of this particular trial is not legally binding on future cases. However, it could serve as a reference point for Tesla and other plaintiffs’ attorneys when formulating their strategies in similar cases.
In the midst of this legal triumph, Tesla continues to face scrutiny from government agencies. The U.S. Justice Department is investigating Tesla’s claims about the capabilities of its self-driving technology, while the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is conducting a separate inquiry into the safety of Tesla’s autonomous driving features.