Tesla Will Appeal a $137 Million Racial Discrimination Payout
Tesla is planning to appeal the verdict reached by a Northern District of California jury, which required the automaker to pay out nearly $137 million to Owen Diaz, a former Fremont, CA, factory contract employee who stated he suffered racial abuse in the production facility.
On Oct. 4, a jury found Tesla liable for emotional distress and punitive damages, valuing the payout to Diaz at $6.9 million and $130 million, respectively. Diaz said employees drew racially insensitive logos and graffiti around and near the plant and also used racial slurs in the facility.
Tesla issued a statement regarding the verdict of Diaz vs. Tesla on the day of the judgment, stating three witnesses apart from Diaz said they heard the use of racial slurs regularly, and all of the witnesses agreed the use of some derogatory terms was not appropriate in the workplace. However, they also said “most of the time they thought the language was used in a ‘friendly’ manner and usually by African-American colleagues.”
Read the source article at Autobody News
