• A Miami jury ordered Tesla to pay $243 million for a deadly Autopilot crash in 2019.
• The crash resulted in the death of Naibel Benavides Leon and severe injuries to her boyfriend, Dillon Angulo.
• The jury found Tesla 33% responsible for the crash, attributing significant fault to its Autopilot technology.
• Experts believe this verdict could lead to increased liability in future Autopilot-related cases.
• Tesla plans to appeal the decision, asserting that the driver was primarily at fault.

A Miami federal jury determined that Tesla was partly responsible for a crash that resulted in the death of 22-year-old Naibel Benavides Leon and severe injuries to her boyfriend, Dillon Angulo. The jury awarded a total of $243 million, which includes $200 million in punitive damages and $43 million in compensatory damages. This case marks a significant legal outcome for Tesla, which has faced numerous lawsuits regarding its Autopilot system but rarely made it to trial, according to sfgate, CBS News, and india times.

The jury found that Tesla's Autopilot technology failed to prevent the crash, which occurred when the driver, George McGee, was distracted by his cellphone. During the trial, plaintiffs' attorneys argued that Tesla knowingly allowed the use of its Autopilot system in unsuitable conditions, thus contributing to the accident. Experts cited this case as a potential precedent for future litigation against Tesla, as many similar lawsuits have either been settled or dismissed without reaching the courtroom, according to Reuters and Business Insider.

Experts believe the lawsuit's outcome could lead to “floodgates” of similar claims against Tesla as consumers may feel emboldened to challenge the company's self-driving technology. The plaintiffs alleged that critical evidence was initially hidden or lost by Tesla, which the company denies. Tesla's response emphasized that the driver’s actions were the primary cause of the accident, with the company stating, “Today’s verdict is wrong and only works to set back automotive safety,” reports HuffPost and Le Monde.

Despite Tesla's claims, the plaintiffs' lawyers argued that the company’s use of the term "Autopilot" misleads consumers into overestimating the system's capabilities, as various automakers use terminology that suggests a more cautious use of such technology. The jury's decision ultimately reflects a major blow to Tesla's reputation, particularly as the company prepares to roll out a driverless taxi service, according to AA and The Hill.