An aerial view of the Tesla Fremont Manufacturing unit on Might 13, 2020 in Fremont, California.
Justin Sullivan | Getty Photographs
A Black former manufacturing facility employee for Tesla misplaced his bid on Wednesday for a 3rd trial in his race discrimination lawsuit in opposition to the electrical carmaker, after a California federal decide rejected his claims that the corporate’s legal professionals had engaged in misconduct and tainted his trial.
U.S. District Choose William Orrick in San Francisco in a written order upheld a $3.2 million verdict {that a} jury awarded to plaintiff Owen Diaz in April, denying his movement for a brand new trial whereas additionally rejecting Tesla’s bid to chop the award in half.
The choice is a combined end result for the electrical carmaker, staving off one other prolonged trial whereas drawing new consideration to the case, considered one of a number of, the latest of which was filed by U.S. Equal Employment Alternative Fee final week, to allege rampant racial harassment at Tesla’s flagship Fremont, California meeting plant.
Diaz, a former elevator operator, claimed he was subjected to every day racist slurs and graffiti and that Tesla ignored his complaints.
His legal professionals had argued that Tesla’s authorized crew requested improper questions, baselessly accused a witness of mendacity and made deceptive statements to the jury throughout a five-day trial earlier this yr.
Orrick on Wednesday stated any misconduct by the corporate’s legal professionals had not improperly influenced the jury.
Diaz had been awarded $137 million by a special jury in 2021, however Orrick that yr dominated that the decision was extreme. The decide ordered the second trial to find out damages after Diaz turned down a decrease payout of $15 million.
Tesla and legal professionals for Diaz didn’t instantly reply to requests for remark.
Orrick barred each side from presenting new proof or testimony on the second trial, which came about in March.
Diaz claimed that Tesla’s legal professionals violated that directive by questioning him and different witnesses about alleged altercations between Diaz and different staff, which had not come up on the first trial. Diaz denies these incidents came about.
Tesla has stated it doesn’t tolerate discrimination and takes complaints from staff severely.
The corporate has additionally denied wrongdoing in a number of different lawsuits claiming workers on the Fremont plant and different factories and repair facilities have confronted racial or sexual harassment.
These instances embrace a proposed class motion by Black staff and a lawsuit by a California state company alleging widespread race discrimination on the Fremont plant, which Tesla claims was politically motivated.
Final week, Tesla was additionally sued by the EEOC, which claims that since 2015 Black manufacturing facility staff have routinely been subjected to racist slurs and graffiti and retaliated in opposition to for complaining concerning the harassment.