Federal jury rules Tesla 33% responsible for 2019 crash that killed college student in Florida.
Landmark verdict challenges Tesla’s claims about Autopilot safety as self-driving taxis launch.
Jury awards $243 million in damages; Tesla plans to appeal, calling the verdict “wrong.”
In a major legal setback for Tesla, a Florida federal jury on Friday found that flaws in the company’s Autopilot software were partly to blame for a 2019 crash that killed 22-year-old Naibel Benavides and severely injured her boyfriend. The jury awarded up to $243 million in compensatory and punitive damages, holding Tesla 33% responsible for the crash, with the remainder of the blame placed on the driver, George Brian McGee.
Tesla, which is banking heavily on its self-driving technology to fuel future growth, said it would appeal the decision. “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 lifesaving technology,” the company said in a statement.
Crash highlights Autopilot oversight flaws
The fatal accident occurred on April 25, 2019, near Key Largo, Florida. McGee, driving a Tesla Model S with Autopilot engaged, was distracted after dropping his phone. As he reached a T-intersection at more than 50 mph, the car failed to stop and crashed into a parked SUV. Benavides and her boyfriend, Dillon Angulo, were standing nearby and were struck.
The crash drew national attention to Tesla’s Autopilot system, especially its limitations in ensuring driver attentiveness. At trial, experts testified that the software failed to detect the intersection and did not prevent the crash—even though McGee had overridden the system by keeping his foot on the accelerator.
Mary Cummings, a former adviser to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, testified that Autopilot lacked the safeguards found in competing systems by GM and Ford, which monitor the driver’s eye movements. At the time, Tesla’s system only required occasional steering wheel touches.
High stakes for Tesla
While McGee had previously settled with the Benavides family, Friday’s ruling marks the first federal jury verdict holding Tesla partially liable in a fatal Autopilot-related crash. Tesla has previously settled several similar lawsuits and won a California case.
The company criticized the size of the award and the legal reasoning behind it. “Florida law is explicit that punitive damages have been all but eliminated in product liability cases such as this one,” Tesla said, expressing confidence that the entire verdict would be overturned on appeal.
Trial undercuts Musk’s autonomous ambitions
The decision comes at a sensitive time for Tesla and CEO Elon Musk, who just weeks ago launched limited testing of autonomous taxis in Austin, Texas. Musk has told investors that autonomous vehicles—not traditional car sales—are the key to Tesla’s future.
But Friday’s verdict underscores the legal and public relations risks Tesla faces as it pushes deeper into self-driving technology. During the trial, attorneys for the plaintiffs accused the company of overstating Autopilot’s capabilities and misleading consumers. In closing arguments, attorney Brett Schreiber told jurors: “They knew all along that the Autopilot was defective.”
Evidence presented at trial showed that at least 211 crashes involving Tesla vehicles with Autopilot engaged were reported to federal officials between 2018 and 2023. With at least five more similar lawsuits pending, Friday’s verdict could signal more legal trouble ahead.
Tesla has since updated its software to include interior cameras that monitor driver attention, but critics say that’s not enough.