Tesla loses bid to overturn $243M Autopilot verdict
#Tesla#Autopilot#Verdict#Crash#Lawsuit#Driver assistance#$243 million
📌 Key Takeaways
Tesla failed to overturn a $243 million jury verdict related to Autopilot
Judge Beth Bloom rejected Tesla's appeal arguments as previously considered and rejected
The original jury assigned 2/3 blame to driver and 1/3 to Tesla in a 2019 fatal crash
Punitive damages were only assessed against Tesla
📖 Full Retelling
Judge Beth Bloom denied Tesla's request to overturn a $243 million jury verdict on February 20, 2026, maintaining the automaker's partial responsibility for a fatal 2019 crash in Florida involving its Autopilot driver assistance system. The judge's decision stated that Tesla's grounds for relief were virtually identical to arguments already presented and rejected during the trial process. 'The grounds for relief that Tesla relies upon are virtually the same as those Tesla put forth previously during the course of trial and in their briefings on summary judgment — arguments that were already considered and rejected,' the ruling read. Additionally, Tesla did not present new arguments or controlling law that would persuade the court to alter its earlier decisions or the jury verdict. The original verdict, delivered last August, awarded $243 million to the plaintiffs in a case stemming from a 2019 crash that killed Naibel Benavides and critically injured Dillon Angulo. The jury determined that the driver bore two-thirds of the responsibility while Tesla was assigned one-third of the blame. Significantly, punitive damages were assessed exclusively against Tesla, not the driver. Tesla's legal team had contended in their appeal that the crash was primarily caused by the driver's actions.
System to maintain vehicle trajectory in lieu of direct operator command
An autopilot is a system used to control the path of an aircraft without requiring constant intervention by a human operator. The autopilot does not replace human operators, but it assists them allowing them to focus on broader aspects of operations (for example, monitoring the trajectory, weather a...
Tesla most commonly refers to:
Nikola Tesla (1856–1943), a Serbian-American electrical engineer and inventor
Tesla, Inc., an American electric vehicle and clean energy company, formerly Tesla Motors, Inc.
A lawsuit is a proceeding by one or more parties (the plaintiff or claimant) against one or more parties (the defendant) in a civil court of law. The archaic term "suit in law" is found in only a small number of laws still in effect today. The term "lawsuit" is used with respect to a civil action br...
Formal finding of fact made by a jury on matters submitted to it by the judge
In law, a verdict is the formal finding of fact made by a jury on matters or questions submitted to the jury by a judge. In a bench trial, the judge's decision near the end of the trial is simply referred to as a finding. In England and Wales, a coroner's findings used to be called verdicts but are,...
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Original Source
In Brief Posted: 9:37 AM PST · February 20, 2026 Kirsten Korosec Tesla loses bid to overturn $243M Autopilot verdict A judge has denied Tesla’s request to overturn a $243 million jury verdict that held the automaker partially responsible for a fatal crash involving its Autopilot driver assistance system. “The grounds for relief that Tesla relies upon are virtually the same as those Tesla put forth previously during the course of trial and in their briefings on summary judgment — arguments that were already considered and rejected,” Hon. Judge Beth Bloom’s decision reads. “Furthermore, Tesla does not present additional arguments or controlling law that persuades this Court to alter its earlier decisions or the jury verdict.” Last August, a jury awarded a $243 million verdict against Tesla over its culpability in a 2019 fatal crash in Florida that killed Naibel Benavides and critically injured Dillon Angulo. The jury assigned the driver two-thirds of the blame, and attributed one-third to Tesla. Notably, the jury assessed punitive damages only against Tesla. Tesla’s lawyers argued, in its request to reverse the ruling, that the blame rested on the driver, who helped cause the crash. Topics Autopilot , EVs , Tesla , Transportation October 13-15 San Francisco, CA Save up to $680 on your pass before February 27. Meet investors. Discover your next portfolio company. Hear from 250+ tech leaders , dive into 200+ sessions , and explore 300+ startups building what’s next. Don’t miss these one-time savings. REGISTER NOW Newsletters See More Subscribe for the industry’s biggest tech news TechCrunch Daily News Every weekday and Sunday, you can get the best of TechCrunch’s coverage. TechCrunch Mobility TechCrunch Mobility is your destination for transportation news and insight. Startups Weekly Startups are the core of TechCrunch, so get our best coverage delivered weekly. StrictlyVC Provides movers and shakers with the info they need to start their day. No newsletters selected. S...
