Judge Allows Trial for Lawsuit Blaming Tesla's Autopilot for Driver's Death

A judge in Florida has ruled that a lawsuit accusing Tesla and Elon Musk of overselling the capabilities of the company's Autopilot system can proceed to trial. The lawsuit was filed by Kim Banner, whose husband died in a crash while using Autopilot. The judge found that there is enough evidence to suggest that Tesla created a foreseeable risk and that Banner can seek punitive damages. The judge's ruling focused on Tesla's marketing and Musk's comments about Autopilot, as well as previous fatal crashes involving the system. Tesla's attorneys declined to comment, and the company's media and public relations department was eliminated four years ago.