Benavides v. Tesla — Autopilot Wrongful-Death Verdict
Summary
A Miami federal jury found Tesla partially responsible for a 2019 fatal crash in which a driver using Enhanced Autopilot ran through an intersection. The award totaled ~$243M (including $200M punitive).
Outcome
Unfavorable to Tesla: the first US verdict holding Tesla liable in an Autopilot wrongful-death case. The judge denied Tesla’s bid to toss the verdict in 2026; Tesla is appealing.
Cite this page
Reviewed Jun 10, 2026ElonFacts.org. (2026). Benavides v. Tesla — Autopilot Wrongful-Death Verdict. Retrieved from https://elonfacts.org/record/benavides-autopilot-wrongful-death
"Benavides v. Tesla — Autopilot Wrongful-Death Verdict." ElonFacts.org, Jun 10, 2026, https://elonfacts.org/record/benavides-autopilot-wrongful-death.
@misc{elonfacts-record-benavides-autopilot-wrongful-death, title={Benavides v. Tesla — Autopilot Wrongful-Death Verdict}, author={{ElonFacts.org}}, year={2026}, url={https://elonfacts.org/record/benavides-autopilot-wrongful-death}}
https://elonfacts.org/record/benavides-autopilot-wrongful-death