A Tesla car passes the Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. U.S. Courthouse as jury choice started in reference to allegations concerning the protection of Tesla’s autopilot system on July 14, 2025 in Miami, Florida.
Joe Raedle | Getty Photos
Tesla is dealing with a vital verdict in a private damage trial over a deadly Autopilot crash in 2019, the primary time Elon Musk’s automaker has been in entrance of a jury on such a matter in federal court docket.
Attorneys for the plaintiffs on Thursday requested the jury to award damages of round $345 million. That features $109 million in compensatory damages and $236 million in punitive damages. The trial within the Southern District of Florida began on July 14.
The go well with facilities round who shoulders the blame for a lethal crash that occurred in 2019 in Key Largo, Florida. A Tesla proprietor named George McGee was driving his Mannequin S electrical sedan whereas utilizing the corporate’s Enhanced Autopilot, {a partially} automated driving system.
Whereas driving, McGee dropped his cell phone that he was utilizing and scrambled to select it up. He stated through the trial that he believed Enhanced Autopilot would brake if an impediment was in the best way. He accelerated by an intersection at simply over 60 miles per hour, hitting a close-by empty parked automobile and its homeowners, who have been standing on the opposite facet of their car.
Naibel Benavides, who was 22, died on the scene from accidents sustained within the crash. Her physique was found about 75 ft away from the purpose of affect. Her boyfriend, Dillon Angulo, survived however suffered a number of damaged bones, a traumatic mind damage and psychological results.
The plaintiffs have included Benavides’ surviving members of the family, and Angulo, who testified within the trial. Angulo is in search of compensation for his medical bills and ache and struggling, whereas Benavides’ property is suing for wrongful dying, ache and struggling, and different punitive damages.
Legal professionals representing the plaintiffs argued that Tesla’s partially automated driving techniques, marketed as Autopilot on the time, had harmful defects, which ought to have been recognized and glued by the corporate, and that use of Autopilot ought to have been restricted to roads the place it may carry out safely.
Additionally they argued that Musk and Tesla made false statements to prospects, shareholders and the general public, overstating the protection advantages and capabilities of Autopilot, which inspired drivers to overly depend on it.
In opening arguments and all through the trial, the plaintiffs’ attorneys and skilled witnesses cited a litany of Musk’s previous guarantees about Autopilot and Tesla’s autonomous car expertise. The legal professionals stated
Tesla attorneys countered in court docket that the corporate had communicated immediately with prospects about the best way to use Autopilot and different options, and that McGee’s driving was in charge for the collision. They stated in closing arguments that Tesla works to develop expertise to avoid wasting drivers’ lives, and {that a} ruling towards the EV maker would ship the flawed message.
The Benavides household had beforehand sued McGee and settled with him. McGee was charged in October 2019 with careless driving and did not contest the fees.
Whereas Tesla has usually been in a position to settle circumstances or transfer Autopilot-related fits into arbitration and out of the general public eye, Choose Beth Bloom within the Miami court docket wrote, in an order in early July, that the case may transfer forward to trial.
“An inexpensive jury may discover that Tesla acted in reckless disregard of human life for the sake of creating their product and maximizing revenue,” she wrote in that order.
For closing arguments on Thursday, the Benavides household and Angulo have been within the courtroom. They regarded away from screens anytime a video or image of the scene of the crash was displayed.
— NBC Information’ Maria Piñero reported from Miami.
