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.
According to a filing that revealed the May settlement deal, Tesla was asked to pay the plaintiffs’ legal costs.
A jury in a federal court in Miami earlier this month held Tesla partially at fault for a fatal 2019 collision in which the company’s Autopilot driving assistance technology was used. A Tesla Model S with Autopilot activated crashed through an intersection and collided with a Chevrolet Tahoe, killing one person. At the time of the collision, Neima Benavides Leon and her boyfriend Dillon Angulo were standing on the shoulder outside the car. Angulo suffered serious injuries, while Leon was killed.
Due to his culpability, the driver—who was not a defendant in this case—was sued separately. The focus of the 2021 case against Tesla was Autopilot, which was activated but failed to brake in time to avoid crossing the junction. Two-thirds of the blame was placed on the driver by the verdict, while one-third was placed on Tesla. A $242.5 million verdict was handed down by the jury as part of its ruling.
Earlier this month, Tesla told TechCrunch that it intended to appeal the decision “given the severe mistakes of law and anomalies at trial.”
Both Tesla and the plaintiffs’ lawyers have been contacted by TechCrunch. An outside public relations firm that had previously issued statements on Tesla’s behalf chose not to respond and referred TechCrunch to the press office of the company. A number of years ago, Tesla dissolved its communications department.
The case, case 1:21-cv-21940-BB, was submitted to the Southern District of Florida U.S. District Court in 2021.
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