Florida, two other states ask court to toss Tesla's $243M Autopilot verdict
Florida, Alabama and Georgia's attorneys general filed a brief with the Eleventh Circuit on July 9 asking the court to either throw out Tesla's $243 million Autopilot verdict from the fatal 2019 Key Largo crash entirely, or cut the $200 million punitive award down to three times compensatory damages — Florida's statutory cap — giving Tesla's appeal an unusual boost from state governments.
On April 25, 2019, George McGee was driving a Model S with Autopilot engaged in Key Largo, Florida when he bent down to retrieve a dropped phone; the car ran a stop sign and a flashing red light at about 62 mph and struck a parked SUV, killing 20-year-old Naibel Benavides Leon and severely injuring her boyfriend, Dillon Angulo.
In August 2025, a jury awarded a total of $243 million in damages, including $129 million in compensatory damages. In February 2026, U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom rejected Tesla's bid to set aside or reduce the verdict, saying the evidence "more than supported" the jury's findings.
Tesla filed a notice of appeal to the Eleventh Circuit on March 16, assembling a high-profile team led by former U.S. Solicitor General Paul Clement alongside Gibson Dunn appellate specialists Theodore Boutrous Jr. and Miguel Estrada. The team argues Florida law doesn't permit punitive damages under these circumstances and that compensatory damages should be cut from $129 million to $69 million. Business groups, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, have also filed briefs urging the court to vacate the verdict.
Amid that appeal, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier led a July 9 amicus brief joined by the attorneys general of Alabama and Georgia, urging the Eleventh Circuit to vacate the verdict outright — or, failing that, reduce the $200 million punitive award to three times compensatory damages, the cap under Florida law. The states argue that excessive punitive damages deter innovation that benefits society and that the trial court failed to apply Florida's 3:1 statutory cap.
For Tesla shareholders, the outcome of this appeal is an important test case for how much real financial exposure the company's Autopilot and FSD-related litigation could ultimately carry.
Summaries are prepared by the Tesla Briefing editorial team and may not capture every nuance of the original reporting. You are solely responsible for your own investment decisions.