Tesla and Elon Musk knew about Autopilot's faults, a US court has ruled

Tesla and its executives, including CEO Elon Musk, knew about the Autopilot malfunctions but continued to sell cars with the system. This is the conclusion reached by a judge in Florida in a lawsuit brought by the family of a deceased Tesla driver.

Here's What We Know

The ruling means the plaintiffs can seek compensation from Tesla for intentional acts and gross negligence.

The accident happened in 2019. A Model 3 drove under a lorry and the driver was killed. Tesla argued that the driver was at fault as he overly trusted Autopilot. However, the court found that the company's management, including Musk, was aware of the system's defects.

Earlier this year, Tesla won two lawsuits over similar claims of Autopilot defects. The new ruling sets a precedent for future litigation.

Source: Reuters