Tesla Inc. TSLA has settled a high-profile lawsuit over a fatal crash involving its Autopilot system and the death of an Apple Inc. AAPL engineer just before the trial was set to begin.
What Happened: The lawsuit, which was settled on Monday, was related to the death of Walter Huang, an Apple engineer who died in a crash while using Tesla’s Autopilot system in 2018, reported The Verge. The settlement terms were not disclosed in the court filings made public in San Jose, California.
The case was centered around Huang, who died when his Model X veered off the highway and crashed into a roadside barrier at 71 miles per hour. The National Transportation Safety Board’s investigation found that Huang was likely distracted by a video game app on his phone and also pointed to “limitations” with the Autopilot system.
A judge has not yet approved the settlement. According to court documents, a follow-up hearing is scheduled on Thursday, April 11, to delve deeper into the settlement. This hearing will take place after the California Department of Transportation, also a defendant in the case, has an opportunity to raise any objections to the settlement.
In addition to their accusations against Tesla, the Huangs asserted that California’s transportation department shared responsibility for neglecting to repair the barrier damaged in a prior crash. They argued that if the barrier had been fixed, it could have absorbed the force of the Model X collision, potentially saving the Apple engineer’s life.
The court’s records show that the allegations against the highway department are still unresolved.
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Why It Matters: This settlement comes after reports about Elon Musk’s EV giant trying to involve Apple in the trial by issuing a subpoena to the company surfaced. On Sunday, several news reports suggested that Tesla was seeking evidence indicating Apple was aware that Huang was playing the game. However, Cupertino, in turn, continued to nullify or suppress this subpoena.
While this case might be on its way to getting settled, Tesla’s Autopilot system has faced increasing regulatory scrutiny over its safety and the software it markets as Full Self-Driving.
Last year, in a lawsuit related to a 2019 crash, Tesla engineers provided testimony indicating that the system had not been modified to accommodate crossing traffic following a previous crash in 2016. In that incident, a Tesla Model S driver named Joshua Brown collided with a truck in Florida, leading to his demise. The 2019 lawsuit was initiated by the family of Jeremy Banner, who tragically lost his life while driving a 2019 Model 3.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of Benzinga Neuro and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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