(2 Aug 2025)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Miami – 1 August 2025
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1. STILL of Dillon Angulo, who was seriously injured in a Florida crash involving Tesla’s Autopilot driver assist technology, speaking to reporters outside the federal courthouse in Miami (AP Photo/David Fischer; ID 25214033949187)
2. STILL of Neima Benavides, whose sister died in a Florida crash involving Tesla’s Autopilot driver assist technology, speaking to reporters outside the federal courthouse in Miami (AP Photo/David Fischer; ID 2521403393069)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ARCHIVE: Miami – 9 June 2023
3. Wide of federal court building
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ARCHIVE: Miami – 13 June 2023
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4. STILL of The Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. U.S. Courthouse (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky; ID 23164457668951)
5. STILL of Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. U.S. Courthouse (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky; ID23164457626848)
6. STILL of The Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. U.S. Courthouse (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee; ID23164462987949)
7. STILL of police using vehicles to block an entrance to the Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. U.S. Courthouse (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell; ID 23164664488170 )
STORYLINE:
A Miami jury decided that Elon Musk’s car company Tesla was partly responsible for a deadly crash in Florida involving its Autopilot driver assist technology and must pay the victims more than $240 million in damages.
The federal jury held that Tesla bore significant responsibility because its technology failed and that not all the blame can be put on a reckless driver, even one who admitted he was distracted by his cellphone before hitting a young couple out gazing at the stars.
The decision comes as Musk seeks to convince Americans his cars are safe enough to drive on their own as he plans to roll out a driverless taxi service in several cities in the coming months.
The decision ends a four-year long case remarkable not just in its outcome but that it even made it to trial.
Many similar cases against Tesla have been dismissed and, when that didn’t happen, settled by the company to avoid the spotlight of a trial.
The case also included startling charges by lawyers for the family of the deceased, 22-year-old, Naibel Benavides Leon, and for her injured boyfriend, Dillon Angulo.
They claimed Tesla either hid or lost key evidence, including data and video recorded seconds before the accident.
Tesla said it made a mistake after being shown the evidence and honestly hadn’t thought it was there.
Tesla has previously faced criticism that it is slow to cough up crucial data by relatives of other victims in Tesla crashes, accusations that the car company has denied.
In this case, the plaintiffs showed Tesla had the evidence all along, despite its repeated denials, by hiring a forensic data expert who dug it up.
In addition to a punitive award of $200 million, the jury said Tesla must also pay $43 million of a total $129 million in compensatory damages for the crash, bringing the total borne by the company to $243 million.
Tesla said it will appeal.
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