$137 Million Awarded To Ex-Tesla Employee In Discrimination Lawsuit

A jury in California has ordered Tesla to pay $137 million in damages to a former employee.

The money was awarded to a Black ex-employee who experienced a hostile work environment of racial harassment and discrimination. This occurred at the company’s plant in Fremont.

Owen Diaz worked at the company from 2015 to 2016. During his time there, he said that he heard the n-word several times, racist graffiti and cartoons were put near his work area, and his co-workers told him to “Go back to Africa.”

After his superiors decided not to act on the incidences, he became so stressed that he began to lose weight and sleep.

“Some days I would just sit on the stairs and cry,” he stated in court.

Tesla responded to the jury’s decision, stating that Tesla did respond appropriately when the problems were brought to their attention. However, they admitted that many issues were going on at the time. They said Tesla is a different company now.