Lawsuit Over Autopilot Crash That Killed Apple Engineer; Tesla Reaches Settlement (Representative Image)

Tesla, the popular electric carmaker, has settled a high-profile case that blamed the company”s driver-assistance software for the death of an Apple engineer in 2018. The confidential settlement between Tesla and the family of the former Apple engineer who died after his Tesla Model X crashed while the Autopilot feature was engaged happened when the trial was scheduled to start Monday with jury selection.

Walter Huang was killed on March 23, 2018, when his Tesla struck a concrete highway median in Silicon Valley. In 2019, Walter Huang”s family filed a negligence and wrongful death lawsuit against Elon Musk-owned Tesla. The family also blamed defects in Tesla”s Autopilot technology. According to an Al Jazeera report, Walter Huang”s family argued in the lawsuit that the carmaker”s Autopilot feature was elevated in such a way as to make customers believe they did not have to remain alert when behind the wheel.

Tesla reached the settlement after a five-year legal battle. The case has also attracted significant public attention, and it has also reportedly prompted a probe by the National Transportation Safety Board. Notably, the terms of the settlement between the company and Walter Huang”s family have not yet been disclosed. Both parties have not made any official statements on this matter.

At the same time, Tesla lawyers reportedly argued that Walter Huang did not use the Autopilot system properly as he was playing a game on his smartphone just before the fatal crash. However, the family argued that it was Tesla”s fault because it falsely marketed Autopilot as self-driving software.

For years, the automaker has faced scrutiny over its autonomous driving technology. The latest trial would have put the firm”s autonomous driving technology under close scrutiny. The confidential settlement also comes following Elon Musk”s recent announcement that Tesla would unveil its robotaxi on August 8.