Federal Judge Rejects Appeal, Orders Tesla to Pay $243 Million Judgment Over Fatal Autopilot Crash
A federal judge denied Tesla’s attempt to overturn a $243 million jury decision related to a deadly 2019 Autopilot crash in Florida. The decision, made public on Friday, indicates that Tesla is running out of options to avoid paying the hefty judgment.
The verdict was “more than supported” by the facts provided during the trial, according to U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom, who concluded that Tesla had not shown any new justifications for overturning it.
In August 2025, a Miami federal jury awarded a plaintiff $200 million in punitive damages and $43 million in compensatory damages in a lawsuit involving a Tesla Model S with Autopilot. A $60 million pre-trial settlement offer had been turned down by Tesla.
Pointing to a pre-trial agreement that it said would cap punitive penalties at three times compensatory damages, the automaker has stated that it will appeal the ruling to a higher court. However, at this point in the process, even if successful, it would still result in Tesla owing nine-figures in compensation, according to Automotive World.
What is the case about?
Tesla Autopilot was on trial for a 2019 collision in Key Largo, Florida, in which a 22-year-old woman was killed. The accident occurred when the driver of a Tesla Model S with Autopilot “looked down” to retrieve his phone.
As the driver bent down to retrieve his phone, he drove the Tesla through a stop sign and a flashing red light at approximately 62 mph into a parked Chevrolet Tahoe.The woman and another pedestrian were on foot on the other side of the SUV. The crash pushed Tahoe into the two pedestrians, killing the woman and seriously injuring her 26-year-old boyfriend.
In August 2025, a Miami federal jury found Tesla liable for the crash, assigning 33% of the blame to the automaker. The jury awarded $43 million in compensatory damages and $200 million in punitive damages. In August 2025, Tesla’s lawyers filed a 71-page motion asking the court to either vacate the verdict or grant a new trial.
Also this week, Tesla agreed to change its Autopilot and Full Self Driving feature names in the state of California. In December, a California administrative law judge ruled that Tesla deceived customers in the marketing of its vehicles’ Autopilot and Full Self-Driving systems.
Tesla had 60 days to comply and fix its marketing issues. If it hadn’t, the California DMV was going to suspend Tesla’s licenses to sell cars in the state for 30 days.
