Prior to the order of a Florida jury that Tesla must pay $243 million to the victims of a 2019 crash involving an Autopilot-equipped Model S, Elon Musk’s electric vehicle company was reportedly offered a $60 million settlement.
The plaintiffs’ lawyers disclosed this in a filing submitted Monday before the federal court in Miami, Florida, as part of their request for legal fees from Tesla, Reuters reported.
The company, which rejected the proposal, is now ordered to pay three times the settlement amount previously offered in early August.
The lawyers also said that under Florida law, Tesla must cover the legal fees they incurred since May 30, when their $60 million settlement offer was turned down.
The lawsuit, which ruled in favor of the plaintiffs, centered on an April 2019 accident in which a Tesla Model S drove through an intersection and hit a couple standing beside their parked Chevrolet Tahoe. Twenty-two-year-old Naibel Benavides Leon was killed, while her boyfriend, Dillon Angulo, suffered serious injuries.
The court held the company liable due to the failure of the car’s Autopilot technology. Tesla will pay a total of $200 million in punitive damages and $43 million, or 33 percent, of the $129 million in compensatory damages.
Meanwhile, the driver was found partly responsible and is ordered to pay the remaining 67 percent of the compensation to the victims.
Tesla plans to appeal, saying the verdict is wrong. Its lawyers argued that the ruling sets back automotive safety and jeopardizes efforts across the industry to develop and implement life-saving technology.