Crash on Card Sound Road
The collision occurred April 25, 2019, on Card Sound Road in Key Largo. Jurors found that Autopilot in George Brian McGee’s 2019 Tesla Model S contributed to the crash.
McGee, driving from his Boca Raton office to his home in Key Largo, testified that he dropped his phone and glanced down to retrieve it, unaware he was approaching a T-intersection. He sped past a stop sign and slammed into a parked Chevrolet Tahoe. Benavides, who was standing beside the SUV with her boyfriend, Dillon Angulo, was killed. Angulo, then 26, was injured.
McGee had engaged Autopilot, but moments before impact he pressed the accelerator to exceed the speed limit. That action triggered a message indicating cruise control would not brake.
The jury apportioned fault: 67% to McGee and 33% to Tesla.
Breaking Down the Damages
Jurors initially awarded $59 million in compensatory damages to Benavides’ parents and $70 million to Angulo. After adjusting for comparative fault, the compensatory total was reduced to $42.57 million.
The panel also imposed $200 million in punitive damages against Tesla — bringing the total judgment to $243 million.
In post-trial filings, Tesla argued the compensatory damages were excessive and surpassed what plaintiffs had requested. The company also contended that punitive damages were improper because its conduct did not meet Florida’s threshold for “egregious wrongdoing.” Additionally, Tesla maintained that state law caps punitive damages at three times compensatory damages after reductions for comparative fault.
Judge Bloom rejected each argument and declined to disturb any portion of the award.
