TLDR
- A federal judge rejected Tesla’s bid to overturn a $243 million jury verdict tied to a fatal 2019 Autopilot crash
- U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom said trial evidence “more than supported” the August 2025 verdict
- The crash killed a 22-year-old woman and severely injured her boyfriend in Key Largo, Florida
- Jurors found Tesla 33% responsible, awarding $19.5M and $23.1M in compensatory damages plus $200M in punitive damages
- Tesla is expected to appeal; this was the first federal jury verdict over a fatal Autopilot accident
A federal judge has refused to overturn a $243 million verdict against Tesla over a deadly 2019 crash involving one of its Autopilot-equipped vehicles.
U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom, based in Miami, made her decision public on Friday. She said the evidence at trial “more than supported” the jury’s August 2025 verdict.
The judge also noted that Tesla offered no new arguments that would justify setting the ruling aside.
The crash happened on April 25, 2019, in Key Largo, Florida. Driver George McGee was traveling at around 62 mph when he bent down to pick up his dropped phone.
His 2019 Tesla Model S, which had Autopilot engaged, plowed through an intersection and struck an SUV parked on the shoulder. Naibel Benavides Leon was killed, and her boyfriend Dillon Angulo was seriously hurt.
McGee had previously settled his portion of the case with the plaintiffs.
Jurors assigned 33% of the blame to Tesla. The award included $19.5 million in compensatory damages to Benavides’ estate, $23.1 million to Angulo, and $200 million in punitive damages split between them.
This was the first time a federal jury delivered a verdict in a fatal accident case involving Tesla’s Autopilot system.
Tesla’s Defense
Tesla argued that McGee bore sole responsibility for the crash. The company said its Model S was not defective and that the verdict defied common sense.
Tesla also argued that automakers “do not insure the world against harms caused by reckless drivers.” It pushed for the punitive damages to be wiped out, saying it did not show “reckless disregard for human life” under Florida law.
The court rejected those arguments.
Tesla is widely expected to appeal the ruling. Its lawyers did not respond to requests for comment.
A Pattern of Litigation
Tesla has faced a long list of lawsuits related to its self-driving technology. Most have been settled or dismissed before reaching trial.
This case stands out as a rare example of an Autopilot lawsuit going all the way to a federal jury — and producing a verdict.
TSLA stock was up 0.51% at the time of reporting, according to Investing.com data.
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