A judge found "reasonable evidence" showing that the Elon Musk and other executives at Tesla knew that the company's autonomous driving technology was flawed, but nevertheless allowed the Cars, according to a recent decision issued in Florida.
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The judge Reid Scott, condemns Tesla for implementing a marketing strategy that presented the products as autonomous. In addition, Musk's statements about Technology have had a significant impact on the perception of product potential.
The decision paves the way for a lawsuit about a fatal accident in 2019 north of Miami with a Tesla Model 3. The vehicle collided with an 18-wheeler truck that had veered into the road, cutting off the roof of the Tesla and killing the driver Stephen Banner.
The lawsuit, filed by Banner's wife, accuses the company of willful negligence and gross negligence that could expose Tesla to high damages. The ruling comes after Tesla's success in two product liability lawsuits in California last year that focused on alleged defects of the Autopilot system.
Judge Scott also found that Banner's wife should be allowed to argue to the jury that Tesla's warnings in its manuals and "clickwrap" were inadequate. He said the accident is "eerily similar" to a fatal accident in 2016 involving a fatal Joshua Brown, where the system Autopilot failed to detect trucks crossing the road.
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Banner's attorney, Lake "Trey" Lytal III, said he is "particularly proud of this result, based on the evidence of irresponsible behaviour“.
The judge also cited a video from 2016 showing a Tesla vehicle moving without human intervention as a way of promoting the Autopilot system. At the beginning of the video there is a disclaimer stating that the human in the driver's seat is only there for legal purposes. "The car drives itself", the video said.
Judge Scott said that "absent from this video is any indication that the video is ambitious or that this technology is not already on the market", he wrote.
This decision has negatively affected Tesla's reputation and the value of its shares. With this decision, the judge has identified potential evidence that Tesla knew about the defective autonomous driving technology. This has created doubt in the public's mind and has raised concerns about Security of the company's products.
Moreover, this decision has led to a decrease in investor confidence in Tesla. The revelation that the company may have known about the defective systems of its cars has raised concerns about the company's ability to produce safe and reliable products.
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As for the value of Tesla's shares, this decision may lead to a drop in the company's share price. Investors perceive this decision as an indication that Tesla may face legal action and financial losses due to its defective technology.
Source: The Guardian
