Tesla to Pay $10.5 Million Despite Being Just 1% Liable For a Fatal Model S Crash

A Fort Lauderdale federal jury ordered Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) to pay $10.5 million to Barrett Riley’s parents, whose Model S sedan slammed into a concrete wall, Reuters reported on Tuesday.

The federal jury verdict, which the lawyers called the first trial against Tesla over an accident involving its vehicles, requires the company to pay James Riley $4.5 million and Jenny Riley $6 million, despite finding that Tesla was just 1% liable in the death of an 18-year-old man. Barrett Riley was found 90% responsible and his father 9% responsible for the crash.

Riley's parents said the crash occurred after Tesla, without their knowledge, disabled a device capping the Model S's speed at 85 mph (137 kph) that Rileys had installed in order to keep their son from driving too fast. Barrett Riley lost control of his Model S when he was driving at 116 miles per hour (187 kph) on a curve with a posted 25 mph speed limit, on May 8, 2018.

By Davit Kirakosyan

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