Tesla Drags Apple to Court in an Upcoming Autopilot Crash Trial That Killed an Apple Engineer

By Thea Felicity

Apr 05, 2024 01:29 PM EDT

Investigation Continues Into Tesla Driver's Death While In Autopilot Mode — NEW YORK, NY - JULY 05: The inside of a Tesla vehicle is viewed as it sits parked in a new Tesla showroom and service center in Red Hook, Brooklyn on July 5, 2016 in New York City. The electric car company and its CEO and founder Elon Musk have come under increasing scrutiny following a crash of one of its electric cars while using the controversial autopilot service. Joshua Brown crashed and died in Florida on May 7 in a Tesla car that was operating on autopilot, which means that Brown's hands were not on the steering wheel.
(Photo : Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Tesla is gearing up for a legal showdown over a fatal 2018 crash involving its Autopilot system, and it's pulling Apple into the fray. According to The Verge, the electric car company wanted to reveal that Apple engineer Wei "Walter" Huang was playing a video game on his phone when his Tesla Model X collided with a barrier on US Highway 101 in Mountain View, California.

How Apple Became Involved in Tesla's Autopilot Crash Accident

Now, Tesla dragging Apple to court is inevitable after Huang's family alleges that Apple is secretly helping Tesla by providing evidence that supports Tesla's defense in the upcoming trial.

This accusation follows an investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which found that a video game app was open on Huang's phone at the time of the crash, although it couldn't definitively determine if he was actively playing the game.

It remains uncertain whether Huang was actively playing the game at the time of the crash. Still, historical cellphone logs show a consistent pattern of gaming activity on Huang's phone before the incident.

The family argues that with Apple's assistance, Tesla is trying to challenge this narrative by presenting a declaration from an Apple engineer, James Harding, claiming that Huang was actively gaming during the crash.

The legal team representing the Huang family asserts that Tesla and Apple's decision to present Harding's testimony as a declaration instead of through a deposition is an effort to bypass standard legal procedures. Additionally, they condemn the timing of this submission, which occurred several months after the discovery phase concluded, and deny them the opportunity to interrogate Harding through cross-examination.

As the trial approaches, Huang's family is calling for Apple to produce further information on Harding's declaration.

Apple, in response, applied to dismiss the subpoena, asserting its non-involvement in the case and seeking clarity on its obligations.