A Miami federal jury has ordered Tesla to pay $329 million in damages for a deadly 2019 crash involving its Autopilot driver-assistance system, marking the first time the electric vehicle maker has been found liable for its semi-autonomous technology in federal court.
The tragic incident took place on April 25, 2019, in Key Largo, Florida. Tesla driver George McGee ran a stop sign and a flashing red light at over 60 miles per hour, striking a parked Chevrolet Tahoe and killing 22-year-old Naibel Benavides Leon while severely injuring her boyfriend Dillon Angulo. McGee testified that he bent down to retrieve his cellphone during a call, leaving Autopilot active and behaving as his “copilot.” Neither McGee nor the Autopilot system applied the brakes before the collision.
Plaintiffs’ attorneys contended Tesla had programmed Autopilot for use only on controlled-access highways, yet deliberately failed to restrict its use on unsuitable roads, thereby endangering innocent bystanders. Lead attorney Brett Schreiber stated that Tesla’s decision created a dangerously deceptive scenario.
In the verdict, the jury assigned Tesla one-third of the blame and attributed two-thirds of the responsibility to the driver’s distraction. This marks a notable shift in Tesla-related autonomous vehicle litigation, where past cases often favored the company with juries placing full responsibility on drivers.
Tesla has announced plans to appeal the ruling, calling the decision “wrong” and warning it could hinder automotive safety progress. The company insists that no vehicle, including Tesla’s, could have prevented this crash and emphasizes that driver oversight remains essential when using Autopilot.
The ruling comes as Tesla readies the rollout of its robotaxi network in Austin, Texas, powered by an upgraded version of its Full Self-Driving technology. Legal experts speculate this case may lead to increased lawsuits against Tesla, with personal injury attorney Miguel Custodio predicting it could “open the floodgates.”
Further scrutiny emerged during the trial over Tesla’s handling of crash data, with evidence suggesting the company initially withheld or misplaced internal logs and video footage from just before the collision. The court also allowed claims for punitive damages, citing potential “reckless disregard for human life” in Tesla’s marketing and distribution of Autopilot technology.
This landmark case signals growing judicial willingness to hold manufacturers accountable for the real-world safety implications of partially autonomous driving systems.
