A jury in Florida has ordered Tesla to pay $242 million in damages after finding the company’s Autopilot technology partly responsible for a 2019 crash in Key Largo that killed a woman and severely injured her boyfriend.
The lawsuit was filed by the family of Naibel Benavides Leon and her boyfriend, Dillon Angulo, who were struck when a Tesla driven by George McGee collided with their Chevrolet SUV. They claimed Tesla’s Autopilot system contributed to the deadly accident.
According to attorney Darren Jeffrey Rousso, who represented the victims, the jury awarded a total of $200 million in punitive damages and $129 million in compensatory damages—$59 million to Leon’s family and $70 million to Angulo. However, since Tesla was found only one-third responsible, the final award will be adjusted to $242 million.
“Justice was done,” said Rousso. “The jury heard all the evidence and came up with a fair and just verdict on behalf of our clients.”
Tesla, however, expressed strong disagreement with the outcome and confirmed plans to appeal.
In a statement from its legal team, the company said, “Today’s verdict is wrong and only works to set back automotive safety and jeopardize Tesla’s and the entire industry’s efforts to develop and implement life-saving technology.”
Tesla maintained that driver error was solely to blame, stating McGee had been speeding with his foot on the accelerator—overriding the Autopilot system—while distracted by a dropped phone. “To be clear, no car in 2019, and none today, would have prevented this crash. This was never about Autopilot,” the company said.
