The outcome is a stunning rebuke for Tesla, which for years has fought to absolve itself of responsibility when its technology is involved in a crash.

The jury verdict is one of the first major legal decisions about driver assistance technology that has gone against Tesla. Both Elon Musk and Tesla have spent years making claims about Autopilot's capabilities.

Tesla was found partly liable in a wrongful death case involving the electric vehicle company's Autopilot system, with a jury awarding the plaintiffs $200 million in punitive damages.