Tesla loses bid to overturn $243M Autopilot verdict

A judge has denied Tesla’s motion to overturn a $243 million verdict that found the company partially liable for a fatal 2019 crash involving its Autopilot system. The court stated that Tesla’s arguments were largely repetitive of those already considered and rejected during the trial and summary judgment phases, and that no new legal grounds were presented to justify altering the jury’s decision. The original verdict, issued last August, assigned two-thirds of the blame to the driver and one-third to Tesla, with punitive damages imposed solely on the automaker. The crash in Florida resulted in the death of Naibel Benavides and critical injuries to Dillon Angulo. Tesla had contended that the driver was primarily responsible for the accident, but the jury’s allocation of fault and the court’s refusal to overturn the verdict uphold Tesla’s partial liability in the case.