A federal judge upheld a $243 million jury verdict against Tesla for a fatal 2019 Autopilot crash, marking the first time a federal jury has found the automaker liable in a wrongful death case involving its driver-assistance technology.
U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom in Miami ruled Friday that evidence at trial "more than supported" the August 2025 verdict, rejecting Tesla's request for a new trial or to set aside the judgment.
The decision exhausts Tesla's options at the trial court level and sets up an expected appeal to the Eleventh Circuit.
The case stems from an April 25, 2019 collision in Key Largo, Florida where driver George McGee was using Enhanced Autopilot in his Model S sedan. When McGee dropped his phone and bent down to retrieve it, he believed the system would brake if an obstacle appeared ahead.
Instead, the vehicle accelerated through an intersection at approximately 62 mph, running a stop sign and flashing red light before striking a parked Chevrolet Tahoe.
Twenty-two-year-old Naibel Benavides Leon was killed instantly while standing beside her vehicle with boyfriend Dillon Angulo, who suffered severe injuries.
An eight-person jury deliberated for seven hours last August before finding Tesla one-third responsible for the crash.
Jurors awarded $129 million in total compensatory damages, Tesla's share roughly $42.6 million, plus $200 million in punitive damages assessed entirely against the automaker. The breakdown includes $19.5 million to Benavides' estate and $23.1 million to Angulo for compensatory damages.
Tesla had rejected a $60 million settlement offer before trial and argued during post-trial motions that driver McGee deserved sole blame for what it called "a fiction concocted by plaintiffs' lawyers." The company maintained its Model S wasn't defective and claimed automakers "do not insure the world against harms caused by reckless drivers."
"a beta test they never signed up for."
Plaintiffs' attorney Brett Schreiber told jurors that Tesla oversold Autopilot's capabilities, creating what he described as "a beta test they never signed up for." McGee testified he believed the system would intervene if he made a mistake while distracted.
Since the August verdict, Tesla has settled at least four additional Autopilot crash lawsuits rather than risk further jury trials, including one involving a California teenager's death. Dozens of similar cases remain pending across U.S. courts.
The ruling arrives amid escalating regulatory pressure on Tesla's autonomous driving claims. Earlier this month, the company stopped using "Autopilot" branding in California marketing materials to avoid a potential 30-day sales suspension there, replacing it with "Traffic Aware Cruise Control."
Tesla assembled former U.S. Solicitor General Paul Clement alongside Gibson Dunn appellate specialists Theodore Boutrous Jr. and Miguel Estrada to lead its expected appeal.
