Tesla says California plans to sue over allegations of discrimination, harassment – CBS Sacramento
A worker walks into a Tesla factory in Lathrop, California, U.S., on Monday, September 27, 2021. Lathrop Mayor Sonny Dhaliwal said Tesla Inc. broke ground in its city for what it calls a new Megafactory, praising the planned facility on Facebook the post has since been deleted and is now shown again. Photographer: David Paul Morris / Bloomberg via Getty Images
(CNN) – The California Department of Fair Employment and Housing will sue Tesla alleging systemic racism and harassment, the automaker said in a blog post Wednesday.
Ministry spokesman Fahizah Alim declined to confirm or comment on the proposed lawsuit. If filed, the lawsuit would be the latest in a series of alleged workplace racism by Tesla.
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A former Tesla employee, Owen Diaz, was awarded $136.9 million last year when a jury found him the subject of a racially hostile workplace. Other lawsuits have alleged a toxic culture. Last week Kaylen Barker, a Black woman who works at a Tesla factory, filed a lawsuit claiming the automaker tolerated “pervasive racist practices” in its factories. Barker’s lawsuit focuses on her employment at Tesla in 2021.
Tesla said the proposed lawsuit from the California DFEH appeared to focus on incidents between 2015 and 2019. It called the proposed lawsuit “mistakes” and disputed the potential claims.
“Tesla strongly opposes all forms of discrimination and harassment,” the blog post said. “Tesla continues to seek to provide a safe, respectful, fair and inclusive workplace – all of which are critical to achieving our mission.”
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Tesla also stated that the department had investigated Tesla for the past 3 years for discrimination and harassment and had never discovered any prior misconduct.
The blog post said: “This therefore lends credibility to the agency, following a three-year investigation, that systemic racism and harassment somehow existed in the country. Tesla,” the blog post said.
Tesla said it plans to ask the court to halt the lawsuit once it is filed.
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https://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2022/02/09/tesla-california-discrimination-harassment-lawsuit/ Tesla says California plans to sue over allegations of discrimination, harassment – CBS Sacramento
