A jury in Miami has ruled that Tesla must pay $243 million in damages after a deadly crash involving its Autopilot feature.
The case stems from a 2019 accident in the Florida Keys, where a Tesla Model S ran a stop sign and hit two people standing beside their parked Chevrolet Tahoe.
The impact killed 22-year-old Naibel Benavides Leon and seriously injured her boyfriend, Dillon Angulo.
The driver of the Tesla was reportedly searching for his phone when the crash happened.
Although the vehicle was operating with Autopilot turned on, it failed to stop at the intersection or alert the driver in time.
According to court findings, Tesla’s driver assistance system did not take control or disable itself when the driver became distracted.
The jury found that Tesla’s Autopilot contributed to the crash, saying the system was designed for highways but was still usable on regular roads.
The court pointed to the company’s decision not to limit Autopilot use outside controlled-access highways as a contributing factor.
As a result, Tesla was ordered to pay $200 million in punitive damages and 33% of the $129 million awarded in compensatory damages.
Tesla stated it would appeal the decision, arguing the driver should be held entirely responsible for the crash.
The company insists that Autopilot is only meant to assist attentive drivers and does not make the car fully autonomous.
Despite this, the ruling marks the first time Tesla has been held liable in court for a fatal accident involving its Autopilot system.
Previous lawsuits were either dismissed or settled privately.
Following the verdict, Tesla’s stock dropped by 1.83% on the NASDAQ.