A federal judge has officially rejected Tesla's attempt to overturn a staggering $243 million (£180 million) jury verdict, marking a decisive legal defeat for the electric vehicle giant in one of the most high-profile Autopilot liability cases to date. The decision, handed down by US District Judge Beth Bloom, leaves in place a 2025 ruling that held Tesla partially responsible for a fatal 2019 collision, a case that turned on the dramatic discovery of data the company originally claimed was lost.
The ruling ends the immediate challenge to the August 2025 verdict, which found Tesla 33% liable for the crash in Key Largo, Florida. The incident, which killed 22-year-old Naibel Benavides Leon and left her boyfriend, Dillon Angulo, with catastrophic injuries, has become a focal point for critics who argue that Tesla's driver-assistance technology fosters a dangerous level of complacency among motorists.
