Cannella Snyder partner Rob Snyder was recently quoted in a Law360 article examining the implications of a $329 million verdict against Tesla Inc. in a Florida federal court. The case, Benavides v. Tesla Inc., marks the first time a jury has found Tesla’s autopilot system defective, and the first successful third-party wrongful death claim tied to the software.

The jury found Tesla at fault in the tragic 2019 crash that killed 22-year-old Naibel Benavides Leon and seriously injured her boyfriend, Dillon Angulo.

In Law360’s coverage, Snyder called the decision an “important milestone,” noting that plaintiffs and safety advocates have long raised concerns about Tesla’s driver-assistance technology.

“People have been saying these features were dangerous for a long time,” Snyder said. “This is going to drive public discussion about these safety features and maybe push some regulation that might make this product safer.”

Snyder, who handles complex automotive product liability cases, emphasized that Tesla must anticipate driver error and build stronger safety safeguards into its technology.

“You know drivers are going to make mistakes,” he said. “What Tesla had was a lot of notice from other similar instances.”

He also highlighted the practical impact of the ruling for other plaintiffs pursuing claims against automakers: “These cases are long, expensive and difficult,” Snyder said. “Beyond funding and staffing these cases, it’s hard on the plaintiffs.” He noted, “I think having a verdict like this in a case like this might drive people to push to trial.”

While Tesla has vowed to challenge the verdict and seek a reduction in damages, the outcome of the Benavides case is likely to influence how future claims involving semi-autonomous driving systems are litigated and evaluated. Read the full article on Law360.