US SEC, Musk seek more time for billionaire to respond to SEC's lawsuit
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Malay Mail
11 minutes ago
- Malay Mail
Tesla ordered by Florida jury to pay US$243m in fatal Autopilot crash
NEW YORK, Aug 2 — A Florida jury on Friday found Tesla liable to pay US$243 million (RM1.04 billion) to victims of a 2019 fatal crash of an Autopilot-equipped Model S, a verdict that could encourage more legal action against Elon Musk's electric vehicle company. The verdict is a rare win for victims of accidents involving Autopilot. Musk has been pushing to rapidly expand Tesla's recently launched robotaxi business based on an advanced version of its driver assistance software. Tesla shares fell 1.8 per cent yesterday, and are down 25 per cent this year. Jurors in Miami federal court awarded the estate of Naibel Benavides Leon, as well as her former boyfriend Dillon Angulo, US$129 million in compensatory damages plus US$200 million in punitive damages, according to a verdict sheet. Tesla was held liable for 33 per cent of the compensatory damages, or US$42.6 million. Jurors found the driver George McGee liable for 67 per cent, but he was not a defendant and will not have to pay his share. 'Tesla designed Autopilot only for controlled-access highways yet deliberately chose not to restrict drivers from using it elsewhere, alongside Elon Musk telling the world Autopilot drove better than humans,' Brett Schreiber, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, said in a statement. 'Today's verdict represents justice for Naibel's tragic death and Dillon's lifelong injuries,' he added. Tesla said it will appeal. 'Today's verdict is wrong and only works to set back automotive safety and jeopardize Tesla's and the entire industry's efforts to develop and implement life-saving technology,' the company said. The plaintiffs had sought US$345 million of damages. Their lawyers said the trial was the first involving the wrongful death of a third party resulting from Autopilot. Impact on future cases Tesla has faced many similar lawsuits over its vehicles' self-driving capabilities, but they have been resolved or dismissed without getting to trial. In June, a judge rejected Tesla's bid to dismiss the Florida case. Experts said Friday's verdict may spur more lawsuits, and could make future settlements more costly. 'It's a big deal,' said Alex Lemann, a law professor at Marquette University. 'This is the first time that Tesla has been hit with a judgment in one of the many, many fatalities that have happened as a result of its Autopilot technology.' The verdict could also impede efforts by Musk, the world's richest person, to convince investors that Tesla can become a leader in so-called autonomous driving for private vehicles as well as robotaxis it plans to start producing next year. As Tesla's electric vehicle sales fall, much of its nearly US$1 trillion market value hinges on Musk's ability to pivot the company into robotics and artificial intelligence. Driver's role The trial concerned an April 25, 2019 incident where George McGee drove his 2019 Model S at about 62 mph (100 kph) through an intersection into the victims' parked Chevrolet Tahoe as they were standing beside it on a shoulder. McGee had reached down to pick up a cellphone he dropped on his car's floorboard and allegedly received no alerts as he ran a stop sign and stop light before hitting the victims' SUV. Benavides Leon was allegedly thrown 75 feet (23 metres) to her death, while Angulo suffered serious injuries. 'We have a driver who was acting less than perfectly, and yet the jury still found Tesla contributed to the crash,' said Philip Koopman, a Carnegie Mellon University engineering professor and expert in autonomous technology. 'The only way the jury could have possibly ruled against Tesla was by finding a defect with the Autopilot software,' he added. 'That's a big deal.' Tesla, in its statement, said McGee was entirely at fault. 'To be clear, no car in 2019, and none today, would have prevented this crash,' the company said. 'This was never about Autopilot; it was a fiction concocted by plaintiffs' lawyers blaming the car when the driver - from day one - admitted and accepted responsibility.' — Reuters
The Sun
2 hours ago
- The Sun
Musk's X accuses Britain of online safety ‘overreach'
PARIS: Elon Musk-owned social network X on Friday accused Britain's government of 'overreach' with a new law designed to protect children from harmful online content such as pornography. The Online Safety Act's 'laudable intentions are at risk of being overshadowed by the breadth of its regulatory reach,' X said in a post to its Global Government Affairs account. 'A plan ostensibly intended to keep children safe is at risk of seriously infringing on the public's right to free expression,' it added, arguing that the impact 'shows what happens when oversight becomes overreach'. Beyond the law, X criticised a separate new code of conduct for online platforms as 'parallel and duplicative' as well questioning the free-speech impact of a new police unit tasked with monitoring social media. The social network nevertheless last week introduced formal systems for age verification in response to the British law as well as new rules in Ireland and the wider European Union. Its options range from estimating the age of a user based on the date their account was created or their email address, to requesting a selfie whose age would be determined by artificial intelligence, or uploading an official ID document. Media regulator Ofcom says such age checks -- required since July 25 -- must be 'technically accurate, robust, reliable and fair'. Platforms failing to comply risk fines of up to 18 million pounds ($24 million) or 10 percent of their global revenue -- whichever is larger. Serious infringers could be blocked from British territory. The fight over age verification to access sensitive content in Britain echoes months of debate in France over new rules requiring pornography sites to verify users' ages -- a step also required by many US states. While hailed by child safety campaigners, opponents say such requirements risk compromising legitimate users' privacy -- or even exposing them to scams such as identity theft if the personal details used to verify their age were to be hacked. Many people resort to virtual private networks (VPNs) to get around territorial restrictions on access to online content. The most popular free apps on Apple's UK download store since last week have been VPNs, with one, Proton, reporting earlier this week a 1,800 percent rise in downloads, according to British media. - AFP
The Sun
2 hours ago
- The Sun
Tesla ordered to pay $243m in fatal Autopilot crash case
MIAMI: A Florida jury has ordered Tesla to pay $243 million in damages over a fatal 2019 crash involving its Autopilot system. The verdict marks a rare legal setback for the electric vehicle maker, which faces growing scrutiny over its self-driving technology. Jurors awarded $129 million in compensatory damages and $200 million in punitive damages to the estate of Naibel Benavides Leon and her former boyfriend Dillon Angulo. Tesla was found 33% liable for compensatory damages, amounting to $42.6 million, while the driver, George McGee, was deemed 67% responsible. 'Tesla designed Autopilot only for controlled-access highways yet deliberately chose not to restrict drivers from using it elsewhere,' said plaintiffs' attorney Brett Schreiber. 'Today's verdict represents justice for Naibel's tragic death and Dillon's lifelong injuries.' Tesla announced plans to appeal, calling the verdict 'wrong' and claiming it undermines automotive safety innovation. The company argued the crash resulted solely from driver error, stating, 'No car in 2019, and none today, would have prevented this crash.' Legal experts say the ruling could encourage more lawsuits against Tesla, which has previously settled similar cases out of court. 'This is the first time Tesla has been hit with a judgment in one of the many fatalities linked to Autopilot,' noted Marquette University law professor Alex Lemann. The case stems from a 2019 incident where McGee's Model S struck a parked Chevrolet Tahoe at 62 mph (100 kph). Benavides Leon died from her injuries, while Angulo sustained permanent disabilities. Investigators said McGee was distracted by a dropped phone and ignored traffic signals. Despite Tesla's insistence that Autopilot was not at fault, jurors found the software contributed to the crash. 'The only way the jury could have ruled against Tesla was by finding a defect with Autopilot,' said autonomous technology expert Philip Koopman. The verdict comes as Tesla seeks to expand its robotaxi business amid declining EV sales. Analysts warn the ruling may complicate CEO Elon Musk's efforts to position Tesla as a leader in autonomous driving. - Reuters
