Courtesy of Tesla, Inc.
Tesla has asked the federal court in Miami, Florida, to throw out a jury verdict that found the company partly liable in a 2019 crash involving its Autopilot driver assistance system that killed a pedestrian and left another with life-long injuries — reports Reuters.
Jurors awarded $329 million in damages in the case, including $129 million in compensatory damages and $200 million in punitive damages meant to deter harmful conduct. Tesla was ultimately ordered to pay $243 million — covering $42.6 million in compensatory damages and the entire punitive award.
The crash occurred when Model S driver George McGee dropped his phone while approaching an intersection and failed to brake, striking two pedestrians standing beside their parked vehicle. Neither McGee nor Autopilot, which was enabled, applied the brakes in time. The collision killed 22-year-old Naibel Benavides Leon and severely injured her boyfriend, Dillon Angulo.
Lawyers for the victims argued Tesla misrepresented Autopilot’s capabilities, leading McGee to believe the system would prevent such mistakes. At trial, McGee himself testified that he felt Autopilot “failed him.” Tesla, however, has maintained that the driver was responsible and that the verdict was swayed by prejudicial evidence, including statements from CEO Elon Musk and recovered data that showed Autopilot had charted a path directly through the couple.
The automaker on Friday asked the court to overturn the verdict, order a new trial, or significantly reduce the damages, calling the $243 million award contrary to “common sense.”
“Auto manufacturers do not insure the world against harms caused by reckless drivers,” Tesla said. The appeal comes after Musk previously said Tesla would challenge the decision. Reports also revealed Tesla declined a $60 million settlement offer before the jury handed down the much larger award.
This case marks the first federal jury trial over a fatal crash linked to Autopilot. Tesla has faced other lawsuits involving the software, including a 2018 crash involving an Apple engineer that the company settled last year, as well as a California state trial in 2023 where Tesla was cleared of fault.
