|
The
jury trial, in a California state court, featured testimony from
one Tesla employee about Autopilot that the company repeatedly
asked to be kept hidden from the public. A judge refused.
The civil lawsuit alleges Autopilot system caused owner Micah
Lee's Model 3 to suddenly veer off a highway east of Los Angeles
at 65 mph (105 kph), strike a palm tree and burst into flames,
all in the span of seconds.
The 2019 crash killed Lee and seriously injured his two
passengers, including a then-8-year-old boy who was
disemboweled, court documents show. The lawsuit, filed against
Tesla by the passengers, accuses the company of knowing that
Autopilot and other safety systems were defective when it sold
the car.
Tesla has denied liability, saying Lee consumed alcohol before
getting behind the wheel. The electric-vehicle maker also claims
it was unclear whether Autopilot was engaged at the time of the
crash.
Tesla has been testing and rolling out its Autopilot and more
advanced Full Self-Driving (FSD) system, which Chief Executive
Elon Musk has touted as crucial to his company's future but
which has drawn regulatory and legal scrutiny.
The company argued that punitive damages should not be awarded
in the case. But plaintiff lawyers cited testimony from Tesla
engineer Eloy Rubio Blanco, who acknowledged during the trial
that Tesla understood software on the car could have latent
defects.
On the stand, Rubio also rejected a suggestion from Lee's
attorney that the company chose the name "Full Self-Driving"
because it hoped the public would think its vehicles had more
features.
Closing arguments are scheduled for 10 a.m. Pacific time.
(Reporting by Dan Levine; Editing by Richard Chang)
[© 2023 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
|
|
