Florida Jury Finds Tesla Partly Liable in Fatal Autopilot Crash, Awards $329 Million in Damages

MIAMI,  Florida – A federal jury in Miami has ruled that Tesla is partially responsible for a deadly 2019 crash involving its Autopilot driver-assistance system, ordering the company to pay $329 million in damages. The verdict includes $129 million in compensatory damages and $200 million in punitive damages.

The case stems from a March 2019 incident in Key Largo, Florida, where a Tesla Model S on Autopilot collided with a parked SUV at a T-intersection, killing 22-year-old Nadia Bruna and injuring the SUV’s driver, according to WSVN. The Tesla driver, George Brian McGee, was found 67% at fault for distraction, while Tesla was assigned 33% liability.

Plaintiffs argued that Tesla misrepresented Autopilot’s capabilities, leading to overreliance by drivers. They sought $345 million in damages.

Tesla plans to appeal, stating the verdict is incorrect and emphasizing that Autopilot requires driver attention,  TechCrunch reports. The company may pay only a portion due to the fault allocation.

This is the first federal jury verdict holding Tesla liable in an Autopilot case, potentially impacting over 200 similar lawsuits. CNBC noted that Tesla’s stock dipped 1-2% in following the news.