The April 2019 crash killed Naibel Benavides Leon and seriously injured her boyfriend, Dillon Angulo, after a Tesla Model S on Autopilot struck their parked Chevrolet Tahoe on a Florida roadside.
Tesla turned down a $60 million settlement offer in a lawsuit over a 2019 Autopilot-related crash, only to be hit this month with a $243 million jury verdict.
The disclosure came in a filing on Monday in Miami federal court, where lawyers for the victims requested legal fees. They said Florida law entitles them to recover fees dating back to May 30, when Tesla rejected the proposed settlement, according to a Reuters report.
The case centered on an April 2019 accident in which driver George McGee’s Model S, traveling about 62 mph, slammed into a parked Chevrolet Tahoe as Naibel Benavides Leon and her boyfriend Dillon Angulo stood beside it on a roadside shoulder.
Leon was killed and Angulo sustained serious injuries.
Jurors awarded $129 million in compensatory damages and $200 million in punitive damages, assigning Tesla responsibility for $42.6 million of the compensatory portion along with all punitive damages.
McGee was found 67% at fault but was not named as a defendant.
Plaintiffs’ attorneys argued Tesla marketed Autopilot as safer than humans while allowing it to be used beyond its intended highway setting. “Today’s verdict represents justice for Naibel’s tragic death and Dillon’s lifelong injuries,” lawyer Brett Schreiber said.
Tesla, which has denied liability, said the ruling “only works to set back automotive safety and jeopardize Tesla’s and the entire industry’s efforts” to advance driver-assistance systems.
The company maintains that no car, then or now, could have prevented the crash and has vowed to appeal.
The verdict is the first jury finding of Tesla’s responsibility for the death of a third party linked to Autopilot. Legal experts said the outcome could embolden more lawsuits and raise settlement costs as Musk pushes to convince investors that Tesla can lead in autonomous driving and robotaxis, a key pillar of its nearly $1 trillion market valuation.
On Stocktwits, retail sentiment for Tesla was ‘neutral’ amid ‘low’ message volume.
Tesla’s stock has declined 14% so far in 2025.
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