Tesla is being sued by the State of California for 'racial segregation'.
Elon Musk's electric car company - which has had its headquarters in the state since 2003 - is facing a lawsuit after the California’s Department of Fair Employment and housing claimed to have received several complaints regarding racial segregation from "hundreds" of workers at its main factory in Fremont.
In a statement, Kevin Kish, the director of the DEBH said: "After receiving hundreds of complaints from workers, DFEH found evidence that Tesla’s Fremont factory is a racially segregated workplace where black workers are subjected to racial slurs and discriminated against in job assignments, discipline, pay, and promotion creating a hostile work environment."
The department went on to claim that black Tesla employees were subjected to racist graffiti and racial slurs in the workplace, claims which Tesla is "strongly opposed to."
In a blog post pre-empting the filing of the case, the Tesla team said: "Tesla strongly opposes all forms of discrimination and harassment and has a dedicated Employee Relations team that responds to and investigates all complaints. We also have a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion team whose work is shown in this public report. Tesla has always disciplined and terminated employees who engage in misconduct, including those who use racial slurs or harass others in different ways."
The blog post went on slam the law post, claiming that they were being "attacked" after doing "so much good" for the state of California.
It continued: "Attacking a company like Tesla that has done so much good for California should not be the overriding aim of a state agency with prosecutorial authority. The interests of workers and fundamental fairness must come first."
It comes after black former employee Owen Diaz successfully sued the company for $130m (£96m) in damages last year, claiming to have faced “daily racial epithets, including the “N-word."
Upon winning the punitive damages, he told the New York times: “It took four long years to get to this point. It’s like a big weight has been pulled off my shoulders.”
