Tesla has hit out at a lawsuit filed against it by California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) that claims the automaker ignored “rampant racism” in its Fremont factory.
The agency claims that Tesla turned a blind eye to years of complaints about racial slurs at the facility. However, Tesla claims that it has already faced an investigation by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission that predates the lawsuit from the Department of Fair Employment and Housing and claims the agency is chasing headlines.
“DFEH ignored its statutory obligations and rushed to file suit against Tesla, perhaps for a quick publicity grab, perhaps out of fear that the EEOC would be the first to settle with Tesla,” the automaker said in a court filing to a judge in Oakland, California. “DFEH conducted a bare bones ‘investigation’ without interviewing key witnesses, requesting key documents, or ever stepping foot in the Fremont facility,” Tesla added.
Read Also: Tesla Accused Of Racism And Safety Violations In New Lawsuit
Tesla’s complaint also alleges that the DEHC’s lawsuit quoted heavily from complaints previously filed by private attorney Bryan Schwartz alleging race discrimination on behalf of a number of former Tesla employees.
Schwartz hit out at Tesla’s filing, stating that it was a “scorched earth litigation technique.”
“They haven’t really changed their approach, which is blame the lawyers, blame the plaintiffs, but don’t do anything about the egregious racism at their plant,” he told Auto News.
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission spokesperson Victor Chen wouldn’t confirm whether the agency was currently investigating Tesla.
“Under federal law, possible charges (complaints) made to the EEOC are strictly confidential, and we are prohibited from releasing any information, or confirming or denying their existence,” he told Bloomberg. “These confidentiality rules apply even if information becomes public through another source.”
This isn’t the first time Tesla has encountered issues with alleged racism at its Fremont factory. The automaker was previously required to pay a contract worker $6.9 million in damages for emotional distress and $130 million in punitive damages due to the racist treatment he encountered. However, this award was recently slashed to $15 million.
