Miami, FL — Singleton Schreiber founding partner Brett Schreiber secured a federal jury verdict of $243 million for the family of Naibel Benavides and Dillon Angulo against Tesla, Inc., following a 2019 crash involving its Autopilot driver-assistance system. The crash resulted in the death of 22-year-old Naibel Benavides and serious injuries to her boyfriend, Dillon Angulo. This landmark verdict marks the first time Tesla has ever been held accountable in a jury trial.
On April 25, 2019, the Tesla, traveling nearly 70 mph with Autopilot engaged, failed to detect multiple stop signs and flashing red lights at a T-intersection, drove off the roadway, and violently collided with Benavides and Angulo, who were sitting near the roadway.
At trial, evidence showed that Tesla designed Autopilot for use on controlled-access highways but did not restrict its use to such roads. Despite these known limitations, the company allowed drivers to activate the system in local residential areas and marketed it with statements suggesting the technology performed better than a human driver.
“Tesla designed Autopilot only for controlled access highways yet deliberately chose not to restrict drivers from using it elsewhere, alongside Elon Musk telling the world Autopilot drove better than humans,” said Brett Schreiber, lead trial counsel for the plaintiffs and founding partner of Singleton Schreiber. “Tesla’s lies turned our roads into test tracks for their fundamentally flawed technology, putting everyday Americans like Naibel Benavides and Dillon Angulo in harm’s way. Today’s verdict represents justice for Naibel’s tragic death and Dillon’s lifelong injuries and holds Tesla and Musk accountable for propping up the company’s trillion-dollar valuation with self-driving hype at the expense of human lives.”
This case represents one of the largest verdicts ever against Tesla in a civil jury trial related to Autopilot and could have wide-ranging implications for how driver-assist technologies are marketed and deployed going forward.
Singleton Schreiber remains committed to holding powerful companies accountable for harm caused by unsafe technologies and misleading public claims, and to seeking justice for families who suffer as a result.
Singleton Schreiber is a client-centered law firm, specializing in mass torts/multi-district litigation, fire litigation, personal injury/wrongful death, civil rights, environmental law, insurance bad faith, and sex abuse/trafficking. The firm is home to the largest and most experienced fire litigation practice in the United States, representing more than 30,000 victims of wildfires and explosions caused by utilities, government negligence, railroads and corporate misconduct. Its nationally recognized team has played a leading role in high-profile cases including the 2025 Eaton Fire, 2025 Moss Landing Battery Fire, 2025 Esparto Fireworks Explosion, 2023 Maui Fires, 2023 Gray Fire, 2023 Tunnel Five Fire, 2022 Dixie Fire, 2018 Woolsey Fire, 2017 Thomas Fire, and 22 wildfires tied to the 2019 PG&E bankruptcy, including the devastating 2018 Camp Fire. The firm is also actively litigating wildfire cases throughout New Mexico, Colorado, Texas, Oregon, and Washington, including the 2025 Cram and Rowena Fires. With deep experience in complex fire-related claims, the firm is committed to helping individuals, families, and communities recover and rebuild.
