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Goldenberg's Tesla Loses Appeal in Cases of Deadly Autopilot Crash Payout of 2,200 Crore Rs.

On February 20, 2026, Tesla Inc., under Elon Musk, suffered a huge legal blow as a US federal judge in Miami rejected a motion by the company to reverse a giant 243 million (estimated 2,200 crore at current exchange rates) jury award against the company in a high-profile lawsuit over a fatal 2019 Autopilot hit and miss. The verdict delivered by the court in August of 2025, based on the evidence introduced during the trial, was more than is required by the US District Judge Beth Bloom, who found that Tesla brought no additional points to set the verdict aside.

The facts leading to the case are a fatal crash on March 1, 2019, in Delray Beach, Florida, in which a Tesla Model 3 on Autopilot collided with a tractor-trailer at 68 mph, shearing the roof of the car and injuring passenger Dillon Angulo but killing driver Naibel Benavides Leon, 22. The jury held the driver 67 percent liable but held Tesla liable for the defects in its Autopilot system at 33 percent, damages of a compensatory nature amounting to 43 million US dollars (Tesla's portion equal to 14.3 million US dollars), and damages of a punitive nature against the company only amounting to 200 million US dollars.

Indeed, Tesla offered an appeal of the decision based on the argument that the sentence was too large and unwarranted, as there was a pre-trial settlement to limit punitive damages to three times compensatory. These claims were, however, ruled out by Judge Bloom, draining Tesla of trial court possibilities. The EV giant has already stated that it would take the matter to a superior court, as a flood of other lawsuits asserting the safety of the Autopilot takes its toll.

It is the first significant punitive verdict in an Autopilot wrongful death case, which signals the increasing questioning of the use of Tesla driver-assistance technologies, which critics believe reflect systemic problems, and Tesla labels Autopilot as contributing to safer driving. The ruling might affect continuing investigations that NHTSA and DOJ have on Tesla autonomous driving claims. The payout is an expensive reminder to the Musk empire, as the demand to sue gets costlier as cases become more compelling—possibly altering the standards of EV liability.