Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) is preparing to defend itself for the first time at trial against allegations that the automaker’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) autopilot feature failed, resulting in a fatality. The trial will likely be seen as a major test of Chief Executive Elon Musk's claims regarding the technology.
Tesla faces two trials in quick succession.
Happening within California's state court, the first trial is a civil litigation alleging that the Autopilot system led Tesla owner Micah Lee's Model 3 to abruptly swerve off a highway located to the east of Los Angeles while traveling at 65 miles per hour. The alleged malfunction resulted in a collision with a palm tree, which caused Lee’s vehicle to burst into flames. The entire ordeal happened in seconds.
The 2019 tragedy claimed the life of Micah Lee and inflicted severe injuries upon his two passengers, including a then-8-year-old boy who was disemboweled. The legal case, brought forth by the passengers and the estate of Micah Lee, places the blame on Tesla. The lawsuit contends that Tesla was aware the Autopilot system and other safety systems were defective when the car was sold.
The second trial is scheduled for early October in a Florida state court and concerns a 2019 crash north of Miami where owner Stephen Banner’s Model 3 drove under the trailer of an 18-wheeler big rig truck that had pulled into the road. The incident tore off the vehicle's roof, killing Banner. The lawsuit alleges that Tesla’s autopilot failed to brake, steer, or do anything to avoid the collision.
Tesla denied liability for both accidents, blamed driver error and said Autopilot is safe when monitored by humans.
"There are no self-driving cars on the road today," the company said.
Tesla won a trial in Los Angeles back in April where a Model S swerved into the curb and injured its driver. The automaker used a strategy where they say it’s disclosed that Full Self-Driving requires human monitoring. However, the stakes in these two cases are much higher as they are the first involving both autopilot and deaths.
Shares of TSLA are up 0.10% in early trading Monday.