Judge Upholds $243 Million Verdict Against Tesla Over Fatal Autopilot Crash
HuffPost • • business
Key Points:
- A federal judge upheld a $243 million jury verdict against Tesla related to a 2019 crash involving an Autopilot-equipped Model S that killed a 22-year-old woman and injured her boyfriend.
- The crash occurred when driver George McGee, distracted while looking for his phone, struck the victims beside their parked SUV; Tesla was found 33% responsible for the accident.
- The jury awarded $19.5 million to the victim's estate, $23.1 million to the injured boyfriend, and $200 million in punitive damages, marking the first federal jury verdict involving a fatal Autopilot accident.
- Tesla argued the driver was solely at fault and the vehicle was not defective, seeking to overturn the verdict, but the judge found
