Tesla Hit With EEOC Lawsuit Alleging 'Widespread' Racism And Harassment
A federal agency has filed a racial discrimination lawsuit against Tesla. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) alleges that Black employees working at Elon Musk's California-based EV facilities have faced extensive discrimination, including "open hostility and racism," since at least 2015. Racist slurs were used "casually" in the workplace, the lawsuit alleges.
Graffiti at the plant also allegedly included "variations of the N-word, swastikas, threats," and nooses placed in several locations. In addition to the racial abuse, the suit also claims "pervasive stereotyping and hostility" was directed at Black employees. Workers who raised the issue with their superiors were subject to retaliatory actions, the EEOC claims.
Similar allegations have emerged against Tesla before, and the company is currently fighting a number of other racial discrimination cases. A California civil rights organization is currently suing the Texas-based company, and workers at its Fremont plant are part of a class action lawsuit against the business. The company replaced its head of HR back in 2017 following allegations of racial discrimination, sexual harassment, and mistreatment of staff.
This isn't Tesla's only ongoing lawsuit
Elon Musk is no stranger to the inside of a courtroom, and his flagship company is currently fighting another high-profile case relating to a death that was allegedly caused by Tesla's Autopilot feature. The case, which went to trial in California on September 28, claims a Model 3 owner was killed when the software caused his vehicle to leave the highway at 65 mph, hit a tree, and subsequently catch fire. Driver Micah Lee was killed in the crash, and two passengers traveling in the vehicle were injured.
The trial is the result of a civil lawsuit, but could still set precedents that have wide-reaching ramifications within the automotive industry. Tesla's software is also linked to a number of other crashes. One incident, which involved a nine-car pileup, took place just hours after the long-awaited Full Self-Driving beta became available to customers. A report from the summer of 2023 suggested that over 730 car accidents had already been linked to Tesla's self-driving system. Earlier this year, 360,000 of the company's vehicles were recalled over concerns about their self-driving software.