Tesla Seeks to Overturn $243m Verdict in Fatal Crash Case
Tesla is asking a federal court in Florida to throw out a jury verdict that held the company partly responsible for a 2019 crash in which a pedestrian was killed and another victim left with life-changing injuries.
The jury last month ordered Tesla to pay $243 million in damages, concluding that its Autopilot driver-assistance system failed to prevent the collision. Lawyers for the victims argued that the technology should have alerted the driver and applied the brakes.
Tesla disputes that view, insisting the crash was caused by driver error. The company has asked the court to dismiss the verdict, grant a new trial, or significantly reduce the damages. In a filing, Tesla said the award defied “common sense,” adding: “Auto manufacturers do not insure the world against harms caused by reckless drivers.”
The case centred on driver George McGee, who lost control of his Model S after dropping his phone while approaching an intersection. His car struck a parked SUV and hit two pedestrians nearby. Twenty-two-year-old Naibel Benavides Leon was killed, while her boyfriend, Dillon Angulo, suffered severe injuries. Neither McGee nor the Autopilot software applied the brakes before impact.
Plaintiffs’ attorney Brett Schreiber said the jury’s decision reflected shared responsibility, but maintained that Autopilot’s limitations and Tesla’s alleged misrepresentations were central to the crash. He accused the company of showing “complete disregard for the human cost of their defective technology.”
The jury initially awarded $329 million, including $129 million in compensatory damages and $200 million in punitive damages aimed at deterring future misconduct. Tesla has asked the court to discard or reduce the punitive element, arguing it requires proof of “egregious wrongdoing” that was not established.
The Florida trial marked the first federal jury case involving Autopilot and a fatal crash. Tesla has faced several similar lawsuits, settling one in 2023 over a 2018 accident involving an Apple engineer, while a California jury the same year cleared the company of liability in another fatal case.
McGee, who told the court he believed Autopilot would assist him if he erred, has already reached a separate settlement with the victims.
