Tesla has been ordered to pay $243 million in damages by a Florida jury over a 2019 crash involving a Model S operating on Autopilot, marking a major legal blow to the electric carmaker. The case centered on the death of 27-year-old Naibel Benavides Leon and severe injuries sustained by her then-boyfriend, Dillon Angulo.
The Miami federal court awarded $129 million in compensatory damages and $200 million in punitive damages. While Tesla was held liable for 33% of the compensatory damages ($42.6 million), the majority of the blame, 67%, was assigned to the driver, George McGee, who was not a defendant in the case.
McGee had reportedly dropped his phone and, while reaching for it, failed to stop at a sign and red light, crashing into the parked Chevrolet Tahoe where the victims were standing. Tesla argued that McGee was solely at fault and maintained that no vehicle, even with Autopilot, could have avoided the crash.
The jury found that Tesla bore responsibility due to its Autopilot design. Although the system was intended for use only on highways, it was not restricted from operating on other roads. The plaintiffs’ lawyers argued that Tesla and Elon Musk promoted Autopilot as safer than human driving, despite lacking sufficient safeguards.
The verdict is considered a landmark moment in legal scrutiny of Tesla’s driver-assist technology and could influence similar lawsuits moving forward. Experts suggest this decision may lead to increased liability concerns and impact Tesla’s ambitions in autonomous driving and robotaxi development. Tesla has announced plans to appeal the ruling.
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