Tesla has reached a confidential settlement with the family of an Apple engineer who died in a 2018 crash while driving in Autopilot mode. The agreement was made on the eve of the trial, ending a five-year legal battle over the incident that claimed the life of Walter Huang near San Francisco. The terms of the settlement were not disclosed, with Tesla requesting the figure to be sealed from the public eye to avoid potential perceptions of liability.
The settlement allows Tesla to avoid the airing of evidence and testimonies in a high-profile case that would have scrutinized its Autopilot and Full Self-Driving software. The wrongful death case filed by Huang’s family alleged that Tesla’s Autopilot system steered his vehicle into a highway barrier, questioning the effectiveness of the system and Tesla’s responsibility in protecting drivers. While Tesla contended that Huang misused the system by not paying attention and engaging in distractions, questions remained regarding the adequacy of the company’s safety measures.
Despite winning previous trials involving Autopilot, Tesla faced challenges in this case, with testimony suggesting the company hadn’t studied how quickly drivers could take control if Autopilot veered off course. Critics argue that Tesla’s marketing messages regarding its self-driving features are not always clear, contributing to potential misinterpretation by users. With ongoing lawsuits and investigations into accidents involving Tesla’s automated-driving systems, the company continues to face legal and regulatory scrutiny over the safety of its technology.
