A jury in Miami has ordered Tesla to pay $200 million in punitive damages in a wrongful death case involving its Autopilot system.
The lawsuit stemmed from a 2019 crash that killed 22-year-old Naibel Benavides Leon. She was struck and killed at a T-intersection by a Tesla Model S that was being operated with the company’s Autopilot system engaged. Her boyfriend, Dillon Angulo, who was with her at the time, survived but sustained serious injuries.
Over several weeks of courtroom proceedings, the focus of the case was whether Tesla’s self-driving technology played a direct role in the deadly accident. Jurors ultimately found Tesla partially liable, deciding that defects in the Autopilot system contributed to the fatal crash.
The plaintiffs—family members of Leon and Angulo—had initially sought $345 million in damages during their closing arguments. While the jury did not grant the full amount requested, the $200 million award for punitive damages sends a strong message about the potential accountability of companies that develop and market autonomous driving technology.
The verdict marks one of the largest punitive damage awards against Tesla to date related to its self-driving software. Tesla’s Autopilot feature, which the company advertises as a driver-assistance system rather than a fully autonomous technology, has faced scrutiny in multiple crash investigations over the years.
The ruling could set a precedent for future cases involving driver-assist systems and their real-world performance. Safety advocates have raised concerns that Tesla’s branding and marketing of Autopilot may give drivers a false sense of the system’s capabilities and limitations.
So far, Tesla has not issued a public statement on the ruling, and it remains unclear whether the company will appeal the decision. The case adds to the growing legal and public pressure on automakers to ensure that advanced driving technologies are both clearly represented and rigorously tested before being used on public roads.
This is a developing story and more updates are expected as the case progresses.
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