(Reuters) -A Florida jury on Friday found Tesla liable in the 2019 fatal crash of an Autopilot-equipped Model S, and ordered Elon Musk’s automaker to pay $329 million to the family of a deceased woman and an injured survivor.
The payout includes $129 million of compensatory damages and $200 million of punitive damages.
Tesla was sued by the estate of Naibel Benavides Leon, and by her former boyfriend Dillon Angulo.
The lawsuit concerned an April 25, 2019 incident where George McGee drove his 2019 Model S at about 62 mph (100 kph) through an intersection into the victims’ parked Chevrolet Tahoe as they were standing beside it on a shoulder.
“Tesla designed Autopilot only for controlled access highways yet deliberately chose not to restrict drivers from using it elsewhere,” Brett Schreiber, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, said in a statement. “Today’s verdict represents justice for Naibel’s tragic death and Dillon’s lifelong injuries.”
Tesla did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Sandra Maler)
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