On February 20, a federal judge denied Tesla’s request to overturn a $243 million jury verdict related to a fatal crash involving an Autopilot-equipped Model S in 2019. The crash resulted in the death of a 22-year-old woman and severe injuries to her boyfriend.
U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom in Miami publicly announced her decision on Friday, stating that the evidence presented during the trial strongly supported the verdict from August 2025. Tesla did not provide any new arguments to challenge the verdict.
Tesla, led by Elon Musk, is expected to appeal the ruling. Neither Tesla nor its legal representatives have responded to requests for comments at this time.
The case stemmed from an incident in Key Largo, Florida, on April 25, 2019, where a driver in a Model S crashed into a parked SUV, resulting in a fatality and severe injuries.
Jurors found Tesla partially responsible for the crash and awarded compensatory and punitive damages to the victims. This verdict marked the first federal jury decision involving a fatal accident with Autopilot.
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TESLA BLAMED DRIVER FOR STRIKING VICTIMS
Tesla argued that the driver was solely responsible for the crash, the vehicle was not defective, and the jury’s decision was unreasonable.
The victims’ lawyer expressed satisfaction with the judge’s ruling, emphasizing Tesla’s lack of accountability and the alleged defects in Autopilot technology.
Tesla has faced legal challenges regarding its self-driving features, with this case being the first to proceed to a federal jury trial.
Elon Musk, Tesla’s CEO, has promoted the company as a pioneer in autonomous driving for both personal vehicles and potential robotaxis.
(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York Editing by Rod Nickel and Deepa Babington)
