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Jury orders Tesla to pay $329m to plaintiffs in deadly 2019 Autopilot crash

Case opens door to other costly lawsuits after jury held that the car company bore significant responsibility in the crash

A Miami jury ordered Elon Musk’s car company on Friday to pay $329m to victims of a deadly crash involving its Autopilot driver assist technology, opening the door to other costly lawsuits and potentially striking a blow to Tesla’s reputation for safety at a critical time for the company.

The federal jury held that Tesla bore significant responsibility because its technology failed and that not all the blame can be put on a reckless driver, even one who admitted he was distracted by his cell phone before hitting a young couple out gazing at the stars. The decision comes as Musk seeks to convince Americans his cars are safe enough to drive on their own as he plans to roll out a driverless taxi service in several cities in the coming months.

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