Tesla Held Liable: Jury Awards $243 Million in Fatal Autopilot Crash

A Florida jury found Tesla liable in a 2019 fatal crash involving an Autopilot-enabled Model S. The company was ordered to pay $243 million, including $129 million in compensatory damages and $200 million in punitive damages. The lawsuit was brought by the estate of Naibel Benavides Leon and Dillon Angulo.

Devdiscourse News Desk | Updated: 02-08-2025 02:29 IST | Created: 02-08-2025 02:29 IST

Tesla Held Liable: Jury Awards $243 Million in Fatal Autopilot Crash — This image is AI-generated and does not depict any real-life event or location. It is a fictional representation created for illustrative purposes only.

A Florida jury has held Tesla accountable for a 2019 crash of an Autopilot-equipped Model S, resulting in a $243 million verdict for Elon Musk's company. This ruling includes $129 million in compensatory damages and $200 million in punitive damages.

The lawsuit was filed by the estate of Naibel Benavides Leon and her former boyfriend, Dillon Angulo. The incident took place on April 25, 2019, when George McGee's Tesla Model S collided with a parked Chevrolet Tahoe, resulting in fatalities and injuries.

According to Brett Schreiber, attorney for the plaintiffs, "Tesla designed Autopilot solely for controlled access highways but chose not to restrict its use to these roads." Tesla has yet to issue a comment on the matter.

(With inputs from agencies.)