Tesla Fined $130 Million For Racially Abusing A Black Worker

Black workers in the US are often racially abused in offices and factories. (photo: doc. unsplash)

JAKARTA - The Wall Street Journal said a federal jury in the US on Monday, October 4, ordered Tesla Inc to pay more than $130 million (Rp185 billion) to a former black worker. This payment is compensation after the worker was targeted in a racially hostile work environment.

The jury ruled that the company failed to take reasonable steps to prevent Owen Diaz, a contract worker who was employed as an elevator operator at Tesla's Fremont plant in 2015 and 2016. He had been racially abused, the paper said.

In a message to employees that Tesla posted on its website, the automaker noted that the trial dealt with racial slurs heard on the factory floor and racist graffiti in the bathroom.

It also said Diaz had complained three times about the abuse. Tesla stepped in and ensured action was taken by the personnel agency. The jury awarded Diaz $6.9 million in compensation and $130 million in damages for even greater losses.

"While we strongly believe that these facts do not justify the verdict reached by the jury in San Francisco, we recognize that in 2015 and 2016 we were imperfect," said a source at Tesla.

Tesla did not immediately respond to a Reuters request asking whether to appeal the ruling. Diaz's lawyers also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Before the trial began, presiding judge William Orrick rejected Tesla's attempt to remove one jury from the existing jury, saying he believed the attempt was racially based and "deliberately discriminatory."

Tesla said in its blog post that since Diaz worked at the Fremont plant, it has made changes including the creation of a team dedicated to investigating employee complaints and to ensuring employees have equal opportunities at the company.

Last year, the electric car maker revealed in its first US diversity report that black employees make up only 4% of Tesla's American leadership role and 10% of its total workforce in the country.