Tesla has been ordered by a Miami jury to pay $329 million to victims of a fatal crash involving its Autopilot driver-assist technology.
On Friday, August 1, the federal jury found that Elon Musk's company should be held responsible due to its tech failure, meaning that not all blame would be put on the driver, who admitted to being distracted by his phone before hitting a young couple who were stargazing.
Reaching the conclusion after four years, the case is particularly unprecedented, as many similar cases against Tesla never reach trial and are either dismissed or settled by the company to avoid public backlash.
The ruling was made amid Elon's plans to roll out a driverless taxi service in several cities in upcoming months as he reiterates the vehicles' safety.
Moreover, Tesla company does not have the permits required to run any autonomous service, even with a safety driver, and they are unable to charge for it.
Without such permits, the firm would not be able to operate its Robotaxi services in the California, along with that, the ruling could open the door to further costly lawsuits and deals a significant blow to the company's reputation for safety.
