A New Lawsuit Alleges Racial Abuse Against Black Employees at Tesla

On Thursday, fifteen Black former and current Tesla employees filed a complaint against the electric vehicle manufacturer, claiming they were the targets of racist abuse and harassment in the company’s factories.

According to the lawsuit filed in a California state court, the workers said they were frequently the target of inappropriate, racist remarks and actions by coworkers, managers, and human resources personnel.

The lawsuit added that the automaker’s “standard operating procedures include blatant, open and unmitigated race discrimination” and that the harassment mainly occurred at Tesla’s Fremont, California factory. It alleged that the harassment included using the terms “nigger,” “slavery,” or “plantation,” as well as making sexual remarks like “likes booty.”

According to the lawsuit, some of the plaintiffs were denied promotions or given jobs that required the most physical labor at Tesla.

It claimed that Montieco Justice, a production associate at Tesla’s Fremont factory, contracted COVID-19 due to taking an authorized leave of absence and was immediately demoted upon returning to Tesla.