A Miami jury has delivered a significant verdict against Tesla Inc., finding the company liable for a fatal 2019 crash that killed one woman and seriously injured another. The decision, which awards $243 million in damages, marks a rare setback for the electric vehicle manufacturer.
In a surprising twist, the driver involved in the accident admitted to being at fault, having sped through a stop sign while distracted by his phone. However, the jury did not assign all of the blame to him, instead allocating two-thirds to human error and one-third to Tesla’s Autopilot technology. The company must now pay $43 million in compensatory damages and $200 million in punitive damages, representing a significant rebuke of its marketing tactics which often emphasize human error as the cause of accidents involving its vehicles.
This verdict is seen as an important step towards holding companies accountable for the flaws in their autonomous driving systems and serves as a warning to other manufacturers to prioritize safety above profits.
Source: https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2025-08-04/tesla-s-243-million-autopilot-verdict-reveals-a-glaring-flaw