A federal jury in Miami has ordered Tesla to pay more than $240 million in damages following a fatal 2019 crash in Florida involving its Autopilot driver-assistance system. The verdict marks one of the largest penalties ever levied against the electric vehicle manufacturer in connection with its autonomous driving technology.
The incident occurred in Key Largo, where a Tesla Model S, reportedly operating on Autopilot, failed to respond to a T-intersection and collided with a parked vehicle. The crash resulted in the death of 22-year-old Naibel Benavides Leon and serious injuries to her boyfriend, Dillon Angulo. The driver of the Tesla, George McGee, admitted to being distracted by his phone at the time of the accident.
While the jury found McGee primarily responsible, it concluded that Tesla shared 33% of the blame. Jurors determined that the Autopilot system failed to alert the driver or prevent the crash and should not have allowed operation on non-highway roads. The total damages awarded amounted to approximately $243 million, including $200 million in punitive damages and $43 million in compensatory damages. Tesla is liable for roughly $42.6 million of the total sum.
The plaintiffs argued that Tesla overstated the capabilities of its Autopilot system and failed to disclose critical data related to the crash. Expert testimony revealed that Tesla had access to telemetry and video data it initially denied possessing. A forensic data expert hired by the plaintiffs uncovered the evidence, contradicting Tesla’s earlier claims.
Tesla has announced plans to appeal the verdict, citing a pretrial agreement that may cap punitive damages at three times the compensatory amount. The company maintains that Autopilot is designed to assist attentive drivers and that ultimate responsibility lies with the person behind the wheel.
The ruling comes as Tesla CEO Elon Musk continues to promote the safety and reliability of the company’s Full Self-Driving technology, with plans to launch a driverless taxi service in multiple U.S. cities. Legal experts suggest the verdict could set a precedent for future litigation involving semi-autonomous driving systems.
