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Tesla factory in Fremont, California: class action lawsuit against rampant racial discrimination and harassment approved
Photo: Stephen Lam / REUTERS
Insults, graffiti and nooses hung in the workplace: Around 6,000 black workers from Tesla's California factory will file a class action lawsuit against the electric car manufacturer for failing to protect them from racism.
A California judge has decided to allow the lawsuit.
The company did not take action against rampant discrimination and harassment at its Fremont factory.
The judge gave Tesla until Thursday to appeal her ruling.
A hearing at which the parties will present their positions is scheduled for Friday.
Tesla is a “breeding ground for racist behavior”
The lawsuit was filed in 2017 by Tesla worker Marcus Vaughn.
He claims that the factory's production hall is a "breeding ground for racist behavior."
According to the complaint, colleagues and supervisors routinely used racial slurs.
However, complaints from employees to the human resources department remained largely unanswered.
Tesla and the plaintiffs' lawyers did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Thursday.
The African-American ex-employee Owen Diaz had already received compensation from Tesla in 2022.
The judge ruled that Diaz was exposed to racist hostility and attacks in the company, against which only inadequate action was taken.
However, the record $130 million in compensation demanded was significantly reduced.
Despite the renewed lawsuit, Tesla insists that it does not tolerate harassment in the workplace and has fired employees who have engaged in misconduct.
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