Tesla is asking a federal appeals court to overturn a $243 million judgment stemming from a fatal Florida Keys crash, arguing that a distracted driver, rather than defects in its Autopilot system, caused the collision. The company filed its latest brief with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit on November 6, 2026.
The case dates to April 25, 2019, when a Tesla Model S ran through a stop sign at approximately 62 mph and struck a parked Chevrolet Tahoe. The collision killed 22-year-old Naibel Benavides Leon and seriously injured her boyfriend, Dillon Angulo.
A federal jury found Tesla 33% responsible for the crash in August 2025, assigning the remaining 67% to driver George McGee. Jurors awarded $129 million in compensatory damages and imposed another $200 million in punitive damages against Tesla, bringing the company’s share of the judgment to $242.57 million…