A federal judge has rejected Tesla's bid to overturn a jury's $243 million award in a fatal 2019 Autopilot crash in Florida, dealing a major blow to the automaker's legal strategy as it faces a growing wave of lawsuits related to its driver-assist technology.
See also: Tesla launches Cybertruck AWD at $60k
Judge Beth Bloom of the U.S. District Court in Miami ruled that the evidence at trial “more than sufficiently supported” the ruling and that Tesla presented no new arguments to justify overturning it. The ruling, released Friday, means Tesla’s last hope of avoiding paying the massive damages at the trial level has been exhausted.
The case stems from a fatal crash in 2019 in Key Largo , Florida. George McGee was driving his Tesla Model S with Autopilot on when he dropped his phone and bent down to pick it up. The vehicle ran a stop sign and a red light at about 62 mph, crashing into a parked Chevrolet Tahoe. The crash killed 22-year-old Naibel Benavides Leon and seriously injured her boyfriend, Dillon Angulo, who was 26 at the time.
In August 2025, a federal jury in Miami found Tesla liable for the crash, attributing 33% of the blame to the automaker. The jury awarded $43 million in compensatory damages and $200 million in punitive damages — the first major plaintiff victory against Tesla in an Autopilot-related death case.
See also: Tesla's future in Europe is in doubt
Tesla had rejected a $60 million settlement offer before the trial. That decision cost the company dearly. In August 2025, Tesla’s lawyers filed a 71-page lawsuit asking the court to vacate the decision or grant a new trial. The company argued that the decision “violates Florida’s basic tort law, the Due Process Clause, and common sense.” Tesla also claimed that references to CEO Elon Musk about Autopilot during the trial misled the jury.
Judge Bloom was not convinced. Her ruling found that Tesla had not presented any new arguments to justify overturning the jury’s verdict. Tesla has said it will appeal the decision to a higher court. The company has also cited a pretrial agreement that it claims will cap punitive damages at three times the damages, which could reduce the final payout. But even under that interpretation, Tesla still faces a nine-figure judgment.
See also: Tesla will no longer use the term 'Autopilot' in California
The ruling comes at a particularly difficult time for Tesla’s legal record. Since losing a landmark trial in August 2025, the floodgates of Autopilot lawsuits have opened. Tesla has settled at least four additional lawsuits over Autopilot crashes rather than risk more judgments, including a case involving the death of a 15-year-old in California.
