Tesla was found partly liable in a wrongful death case involving the electric vehicle company’s Autopilot system, with a jury awarding the plaintiffs $200 million in punitive damages plus additional money in compensatory damages.
The case, which took place in a Miami courtroom over the last several weeks, centered on whether defects in Tesla’s self-driving technology ultimately contributed to the death of 22-year-old Naibel Benavides Leon in 2019.
Along with the $200 million in punitive damages, Tesla was also ordered to pay $129 million in compensatory damages. Of that latter amount, $43 million will go to the plaintiffs.
Leon was killed when a man driving a Model S Tesla equipped with Tesla’s Autopilot technology plowed through a T-shaped intersection and struck her and her boyfriend Dillon Angulo.
Angulo survived but was gravely injured.
“Today’s verdict represents justice for Naibel’s tragic death and Dillon’s lifelong injuries, holding Tesla and Musk accountable for propping up the company’s trillion-dollar valuation with self-driving hype at the expense of human lives,” said the plaintiffs’ attorney Brett Schreiber in a statement shared with CBS News.
The plaintiffs in the case originally asked for $345 million in damages during closing arguments on Thursday.
Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In a statement shared with CBS News when the case went to court earlier this month Tesla claimed that George McGee, the driver of the Tesla vehicle, was ultimately responsible for the crash, not the Tesla’s self-driving technology. “The evidence clearly shows that this crash had nothing to do with Tesla’s Autopilot technology.”
The case was a big test for the electric vehicle maker, which has been under scrutiny over the safety of its cars. Similar cases have been brought against Tesla, although many have been dismissed.
“This will open the floodgates,” said Miguel Custodio, a car crash lawyer not involved in the Tesla case. “It will embolden a lot of people to come to court.”
The Associated Press
contributed to this report.
Mary Cunningham
Mary Cunningham is a reporter for CBS MoneyWatch. Before joining the business and finance vertical, she worked at “60 Minutes,” CBSNews.com and CBS News 24/7 as part of the CBS News Associate Program.
