A U.S. federal jury has ordered Tesla to pay $243 million in damages for its partial role in a 2019 fatal crash involving its Autopilot system. The crash killed 22-year-old Naibel Benavides Leon and seriously injured her boyfriend, George McGee, who admitted to being distracted and using Autopilot while speeding through a stop sign at 62 mph.
The plaintiffs argued that Tesla failed to limit Autopilot use on roads where it wasn’t safe and withheld crucial crash data, which was later recovered by forensic experts. Tesla denies wrongdoing and plans to appeal the decision, claiming the ruling “sets back automotive safety.”
This landmark verdict could have major implications for future legal cases involving semi-autonomous vehicles, setting a precedent on how responsibility is shared between drivers and manufacturers.