HARRIS COUNTY, TEXAS — The family of Martha Avila filed a lawsuit against Tesla and driver Michael Butler on June 23, 2026, after Avila, 76, died in a June 19 crash in west Harris County, Texas. Her daughter and son-in-law filed the lawsuit.

A Tesla vehicle crashed into a home during the incident. The Harris County Sheriff's Office identified Butler, 44, as the driver. Butler informed investigators that the car was in autopilot mode when the crash occurred, but the Sheriff's Office stated its investigation had not uncovered evidence of a mechanical malfunction as of June 23, 2026.

The lawsuit alleges the vehicle had a defective design and was unreasonably dangerous. It also claims the car may have accelerated on its own. Attorney Chris Adkins stated, "We're still in a fact-finding mode, but mainly we're alleging a product defect and a failure to warn on Tesla's part."

Tesla's vice president of AI posted on X that the driver manually overrode the self-driving system by pressing the accelerator to 100 percent. The vice president also stated that the accelerator remained pressed even after the crash. "Tesla's statement, in my opinion, is a little bit fishy given that they indicated the accelerator was pushed at 100 percent all the way through the collision until the vehicle stopped and beyond," Adkins said.

Adkins added, "If that's the case, he should have a shattered leg." The lawsuit demands that Tesla preserve its black box data, autopilot system data, and camera footage. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating the crash.