Individual Action
Benavides v. Tesla
Re-checked against the docket 2026-08-23
Benavides v. Tesla, Inc.
Where it stands
On August 1, 2025 a federal jury returned the first plaintiff's verdict against Tesla over Autopilot: $129 million compensatory ($59 million to the Estate of Naibel Benavides Leon, $70 million to Dillon Angulo) plus $200 million in punitive damages against Tesla. The jury apportioned 33% of fault to Tesla, making its compensatory share about $42.5 million and total exposure roughly $243 million. Judge Beth Bloom denied Tesla's post-trial JMOL and new-trial motion on February 19, 2026. Tesla noticed its appeal March 16, 2026; it is pending in the Eleventh Circuit as No. 26-10858, with execution stayed and the appeal bond waived. The record was certified to the Eleventh Circuit July 22, 2026.
Key ruling
August 1, 2025 jury verdict finding Tesla 33% at fault for a fatal Autopilot crash, with $200 million in punitive damages; upheld against post-trial challenge on February 19, 2026 (S.D. Fla., Bloom, J.).
The record
- Court
- U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida (Miami Division)
- Case number
- 1:21-cv-21940-BB
- Filed
- 2021-05-21
- Defendants
- Tesla, Inc.
- Plaintiffs
- Estate of a 22-year-old woman killed in a 2019 Key Largo, Florida crash and her surviving injured boyfriend
- Technology at issue
- Tesla Autopilot
- Relief sought
- Compensatory and punitive damages for wrongful death and personal injury
- Counsel of record
- Singleton Schreiber LLP (Brett Schreiber, Satyasrinivas M. Hanumadass, Carmela S. Birnbaum)
Claims pleaded
Sources (5)
- Tesla loses bid to toss $243 million verdict in fatal Autopilot crash suitCNBC · 2026-02-20
- Tesla loses bid to overturn $243M Autopilot verdictTechCrunch · 2026-02-20
- Tesla appeals $243 million verdict in fatal Autopilot crash suitCNBC · 2025-08-29
- Tesla Hit With $243M Verdict In Trial Over Fatal Autopilot CrashSingleton Schreiber LLP · 2025-08-01
- Benavides v. Tesla, Inc. — docketCourtListener · 2026-07-22
This page describes a publicly filed case. This site is not counsel on this matter, nothing here is legal advice, and the allegations described are allegations unless a court has said otherwise.