Tesla Autopilot Loses $243M Fatal Crash Lawsuit

🔑 Enhanced Key Takeaways

• •A federal judge in Miami, U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom, rejected Tesla's motion to overturn or grant a new trial for the $243 million jury verdict on February 20, 2026, ruling that trial evidence fully supported the decision.[1][2][3]
• •The crash occurred on April 25, 2019, in Key Largo, Florida, where Tesla Model S driver George McGee, distracted by retrieving his dropped phone with Autopilot engaged, ran a stop sign and flashing red light at ~62 mph (100 km/h), striking a parked Chevrolet Tahoe, killing 22-year-old Naibel Benavides Leon and injuring her boyfriend Dillon Angulo.[1][2][3]
• •In August 2025, a Miami federal jury held Tesla 33% liable in this first major federal plaintiff victory for an Autopilot wrongful death case, awarding $43 million compensatory and $200 million punitive damages, totaling $243 million.[1][2][3]
• •Tesla rejected a $60 million pre-trial settlement offer, filed a 71-page post-trial motion arguing verdict inconsistencies with Florida law and jury misleading by Elon Musk statements, but the judge found no new arguments.[1][3][4]
• •Tesla plans to appeal to the Eleventh Circuit amid a growing wave of Autopilot lawsuits, with at least four others settled post-verdict; disputes exist over punitive damages cap potentially reducing payout to ~$172 million.[1][2][3]

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