#Elon Musk’s Tesla has been ordered to pay $243 million after being found 33% liable for a 2019 crash involving its Autopilot system in Florida. The federal jury in Miami concluded that Tesla shared responsibility for the collision that killed Naibel Benavides Leon and seriously injured her boyfriend, Dillon Angulo.
Following a three-week trial, the jury deliberated for less than a day, awarding $42.5 million in compensatory damages and $200 million in punitive damages. The remaining 67% liability was assigned to the driver, George McGee, who admitted he was distracted after dropping his phone while Autopilot was engaged.
The accident occurred when McGee’s Tesla Model S failed to stop at a T intersection in the Florida Keys and struck a parked Chevrolet Tahoe. During the trial, McGee testified that he relied on Autopilot to prevent such incidents, stating, “I expected Autopilot to assist me if I made a mistake. I feel it failed me.”
Tesla, however, argued that McGee ignored safety warnings and misused the system. The company cited data showing he manually accelerated to 17 mph over the speed limit before the crash, insisting that Autopilot functioned as designed.
Tesla plans to appeal the decision, calling the verdict “wrong” and warning that it could undermine progress in automotive safety.#TrumpTariffs #MarketPullback #WhiteHouseDigitalAssetReport #FOMCMeeting #EthereumTurns10 $ETH $BTC $XRP