Tesla Found Liable For Failed, Fatal Autopilot-Driven Accident To The Tune Of $243 Million

Six years ago, a Tesla driver, who had engaged the company's Autopilot feature, reached for his cell phone. This mishap led the driver of a Model S sedan to take his eyes off the road as he approached a T-intersection in the Florida Keys after sundown. The car failed to stop at the intersection and slammed into a parked SUV, killing 20-year-old Naibel Benavides Leon as she was standing next to the SUV and injuring her boyfriend, Dillon Angulo.

Leon's family and Angulo sued Tesla and the driver.

Until now, Tesla had been successful in avoiding judgments in liability suits — either by getting suits dismissed, or by settling with plaintiffs before trial. On Friday, that came to an end. In the suit against Tesla, a federal jury awarded the plaintiffs $43 million in compensatory damages for pain and suffering plus $200 million in punitive damages, which are intended to deter future harmful behavior by Tesla.

Tesla now faces a bleaker legal future. This award is likely to lead to an increase in the number and intensity of claims against the embattled car company.

EDIT

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/8/1/2336344/-Tesla-hit-with-243M-in-damages-after-jury-finds-company-s-Autopilot-contributed-to-fatal-crash?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=trending&pm_medium=web