US judge rejects Tesla bid to scrap $243 million Autopilot crash verdict

A federal judge has refused Tesla’s bid to overturn a $243 million jury verdict in a case stemming from a 2019 crash involving an Autopilot-equipped Model S that killed a 22-year-old woman and seriously injured her boyfriend.

In an order made public on Friday, U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom in Miami said trial evidence “more than supports” the August 2025 verdict and that Tesla presented no new grounds to set it aside. The company, led by Elon Musk, is expected to appeal. Tesla and its lawyers did not immediately comment.

The case relates to an April 25, 2019 crash in Key Largo, Florida, where George McGee drove his 2019 Model S through an intersection at about 62 mph while bending to retrieve a dropped phone. He struck an SUV parked on the shoulder beside which Naibel Benavides Leon and Dillon Angulo were standing. Benavides was killed.

Jurors held Tesla 33% responsible. They awarded $19.5 million in compensatory damages to Benavides’ estate and $23.1 million to Angulo, along with $200 million in punitive damages to be shared between them. McGee settled separately. The ruling marked the first federal jury verdict in a fatal Autopilot-related crash.

Tesla had argued McGee was solely at fault, that the vehicle was not defective, and that punitive damages were unwarranted under Florida law. Adam Boumel, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, welcomed the decision, saying Tesla failed to accept responsibility and put an unsafe system on the road. Tesla has faced multiple lawsuits over its self-driving technology, most of which were resolved or dismissed before trial. Musk has promoted the company as a leader in autonomous driving and robotaxis.