California authorities plan to file a lawsuit over accusations of misbehavior at the carmaker’s Fremont factory
The California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) wants take Tesla to court, alleging “systematic racial discrimination and harassment,” the electric car-manufacturer giant said on Wednesday.
The lawsuit is reportedly set to focus on claims of misconduct at Tesla’s Fremont factory in California between 2015 and 2019, although the company didn’t provide any further details on the nature of the allegations.
Ahead of the DFEH’s intention to launch the formal legal challenge, Tesla claims that during a three-year investigation, authorities “never once raised any concern about current workplace practices at Tesla.”
Addressing past claims of alleged misconduct, Tesla cites how the DFEH has been asked “on almost 50 occasions” to investigate behavior at the company but, “on every single occasion,” had closed its investigation “without a finding of misconduct.”
“Tesla strongly opposes all forms of discrimination and harassment and has a dedicated Employee Relations team that responds to and investigates all complaints,” the company said in response to the planned lawsuit.
The DFEH has not publicly commented on Tesla’s assertion that a lawsuit is set to be filed. However, the carmaker’s claims come as the company is embroiled in a series of similar allegations over behavior in its workplaces.
Last year, Tesla was sued by two female workers who claimed that there was a “hostile work environment” against women at the Fremont factory. Back in October, a worker was handed a jury award worth $137 million over allegations against Tesla of workplace racism.
