MarketPR
The family of Martha Avila, 76, has filed suit in Harris County District Court seeking more than $1 million from Tesla (TSLA) and the driver of the Model 3 that struck a Texas home and killed her, with the complaint alleging the vehicle's automated driver-assist mode was defective.
Driver Michael Butler told police the feature was active when he lost control of the car. Elon Musk has since denied that Autopilot caused the fatal crash.
Defect Theory Puts Tesla in the Dock Jennifer Barbour, Avila's daughter, and her husband Justin filed the complaint in Harris County District Court within days of the fatal incident, naming both Tesla and Butler as co-defendants.
The family's core allegation is that the Model 3's automated driver-assist feature was defective — framing the action as a product liability claim against the automaker, not merely a dispute between the family and the man behind the wheel.
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