MIAMI — A federal judge has shot down Tesla’s bid to scrap a massive $243 million jury verdict stemming from a deadly 2019 crash involving the electric carmaker’s Autopilot system, marking a stinging defeat for Elon Musk’s company in its first federal trial over the technology.
U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom ruled Friday that trial evidence overwhelmingly backed the August 2025 jury decision, dismissing Tesla’s pleas with no fresh grounds to intervene. The ruling, now public, paves the way for Tesla’s promised appeal. Neither the company nor its lawyers responded to comment requests.
The tragedy unfolded on April 25, 2019, in Key Largo, Florida. Driver George McGee, piloting a 2019 Model S at around 100 kph, veered through an intersection while fishing for his dropped phone. His Tesla slammed into an SUV parked on the shoulder, where Naibel Benavides Leon, 22, and her boyfriend Dillon Angulo stood nearby. Benavides died at the scene; Angulo suffered severe injuries.
Jurors pinned 33% blame on Tesla, awarding $19.5 million in compensatory damages to Benavides’ estate, $23.1 million to Angulo, and a whopping $200 million in punitive damages split between them. McGee had already settled separately with the victims’ side.Tesla fought back, insisting McGee bore full fault, the car wasn’t defective, and the payout defied logic. “Automakers don’t insure the world against reckless drivers,” the company argued, while urging zero punitive damages for lacking “reckless disregard for human life” under Florida law.
Plaintiffs’ attorney Adam Boumel hailed the decision: “From day one, Tesla has refused to accept responsibility. Autopilot was defective, and Tesla put it on American roads before it was ready and safe.
“This verdict breaks new ground as the first federal jury ruling on a fatal Autopilot wreck. Tesla, a pioneer in self-driving tech under Musk, the world’s richest person, faces a barrage of similar suits, most settled quietly or tossed pre-trial. The company continues pushing autonomous vehicles and robotaxis amid safety scrutiny.