Overview

• Tesla filed post-verdict motions asking a Miami federal judge to vacate the jury award or order a new trial in the 2019 Key Largo case.
• Gibson Dunn urged steep reductions, seeking to cut compensatory damages to $69 million and to eliminate or cap punitive damages, which would lower Tesla’s exposure to about $23 million.
• The company argues jurors were unfairly swayed by references to Elon Musk’s past statements and by claims about withheld camera data.
• Jurors previously assigned two-thirds of the blame to driver George McGee and one-third to Tesla after finding that a Model S on Enhanced Autopilot struck a parked SUV, killing Naibel Benavides and injuring Dillon Angulo.
• Trial evidence showed McGee admitted reaching for his phone and pressing the accelerator to override Autopilot, while plaintiffs’ counsel says the shared-fault verdict should stand.