Tesla has to pay historic $243 million judgement over Autopilot crash, judge says
Hacker News
February 20, 2026
AI-Generated Deep Dive Summary
A federal judge has ruled against Tesla’s attempt to overturn a $243 million jury verdict over a fatal 2019 Autopilot crash in Florida. The case stemmed from a collision where George McGee was using the driver-assistance system while distracted, leading to a deadly accident that killed Naibel Benavides Leon and severely injured her boyfriend, Dillon Angulo. A Miami federal jury found Tesla liable, assigning 33% of the blame to the company, and awarded $43 million in compensatory damages and $200 million in punitive damages. Judge Beth Bloom dismissed Tesla’s arguments, which included claims that references to CEO Elon Musk’s statements misled the jury. This ruling marks a significant legal setback for Tesla, as it has exhausted its options to avoid paying the judgment at the trial court level.
The verdict highlights growing concerns over the safety and marketing of Autopilot, Tesla’s driver-assistance technology. The system was found to have played a key role in the crash due to its misrepresentation of capabilities, according to the plaintiffs’ attorney, Brett Schreiber. Tesla had previously rejected a $60 million settlement offer before the trial, which now appears to have cost the company dearly. The ruling also comes amid a surge in Autopilot-related lawsuits, with Tesla settling at least four additional cases to avoid further negative verdicts. This includes a high-profile case involving the death of a 15-year-old in California.
The legal landscape for Tesla has worsened further due to regulatory scrutiny. In December 2025, a California judge ruled that Tesla’s use of “Autopilot” in marketing was misleading, violating state law by implying the system could handle full self-driving tasks it wasn’t capable of performing. As a result, Tesla agreed to discontinue the standalone Autopilot branding to avoid a potential sales suspension. These developments underscore a broader shift in how courts and regulators are scrutinizing autonomous vehicle technologies.
This ruling not only sets a legal precedent but also raises critical questions about the safety and
Verticals
techstartups
Originally published on Hacker News on 2/20/2026