A judge ruled Tesla still has to pay $243 million for a fatal crash involving Autopilot

Source: Engadget

Background

The incident dates back to 2019 when the driver of a Tesla Model S, George McGee, was using the vehicle’s Autopilot feature while bending down to retrieve a dropped phone. The Model S then collided with an SUV parked on the shoulder of the road. Naibel Benavides Leon was killed in the crash, and Dillon Angulo was severely injured.

Court Decision

On Friday, U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom upheld the jury’s verdict from August 2025, finding Tesla partially responsible for the fatal crash. The judge ruled that there was sufficient evidence to support the jury’s decision and ordered Tesla to pay $243 million in compensatory and punitive damages to the two victims. Judge Bloom noted that Tesla did not present any new arguments to dispute the verdict.

Potential Appeal and Ongoing Investigations

Tesla has not publicly commented on the ruling, but the company is expected to appeal the decision to a higher court. Previously, Tesla’s lawyers argued that the driver was at fault and that neither the Model S nor Autopilot were defective.

In parallel, Tesla is facing several investigations by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) concerning both its Autopilot and Full‑Self‑Driving (FSD) features.