A Florida jury has found Tesla partially responsible for a 2019 crash involving its Autopilot driver assistance software, marking a major legal setback for the electric carmaker and its CEO Elon Musk. The incident led to the death of a 22-year-old woman and serious injuries to another pedestrian.
The lawsuit stemmed from a crash in the Florida Keys where a Tesla Model S, operated in Autopilot mode, ran through a T-intersection and struck an SUV. Two pedestrians—Naibel Benavides Leon and her boyfriend Dillon Angulo—were standing nearby when they were hit. Benavides Leon was killed, and Angulo suffered life-altering injuries.
According to court testimony, the driver, George McGee, had taken his eyes off the road while retrieving his phone. Neither he nor the car’s Autopilot system hit the brakes before the crash. McGee, who settled separately with the victims, claimed he believed Autopilot would intervene if he made a mistake.
After a three-week trial, the jury awarded $329 million in total damages. Tesla was ordered to pay $42.5 million in compensatory damages—one-third of the total—and the full $200 million in punitive damages. However, Tesla noted that the punitive amount is likely to be reduced under legal caps.
In a statement, Tesla called the verdict “wrong,” insisting the crash had nothing to do with its Autopilot system. “This was never about Autopilot,” the company said. “The driver was speeding, distracted, and admitted responsibility.”
Nonetheless, the plaintiffs argued Tesla had misrepresented the capabilities of its Autopilot system, allowing drivers to believe it could handle more than it was designed for. “Tesla designed Autopilot for highways but chose not to restrict its use elsewhere,” said plaintiffs’ attorney Brett Schreiber, who also accused the company of prioritizing hype over safety.
The verdict represents the first jury decision in a fatal crash involving Tesla’s Autopilot. Previous incidents, including a 2018 fatal crash involving an Apple engineer, were settled out of court.
Experts say the outcome could have broader implications for the development of semi-autonomous driving technologies. “Tesla is finally being held accountable for its defective designs and grossly negligent engineering practices,” said Missy Cummings, a robotics professor and long-time critic of the company’s safety claims.
The ruling also comes at a difficult time for Tesla, as it faces declining sales and growing scrutiny over Elon Musk’s public behavior and political engagements.
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