Tesla Inc. is obstructing a California probe of alleged workplace harassment and discrimination at its main electric-vehicle plant by refusing to turn over information to investigators, a state agency claims.
(Bloomberg) — Tesla Inc. is obstructing a California probe of alleged workplace harassment and discrimination at its main electric-vehicle plant by refusing to turn over information to investigators, a state agency claims.
California’s Civil Rights Department asked the Alameda County Superior Court to order Tesla to comply with a subpoena request in a state investigation prompted by a worker complaint in 2021. Tesla failed to hand over documents and communicate promptly following an impasse in talks with the state about an April deposition of a Tesla representative, the agency said Thursday.
The legal action is separate from a suit the Civil Rights Department filed last year claiming Tesla engaged in a pattern of racial harassment and bias at its main factory. California officials said they found widespread evidence of Black workers being mistreated, including harassment, unequal pay and retaliation, at the Fremont plant during a three-year investigation.
Tesla didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
“Under California law, it is our responsibility to take each and every complaint of civil rights violations seriously — and to follow the facts wherever they lead,” CRD Director Kevin Kish said in a statement. “The California Civil Rights Department will not accept any attempts to obstruct our investigation.”
Tesla is facing numerous workplace discrimination suits over its treatment of Black employees and subcontractors at the Fremont plant, including Marchus Vaughn, who said in a sworn declaration that he had heard the “N-word” used at least 100 times by co-workers.
Tesla responded to Vaughn’s 2017 suit with a blog post titled “Hotbed of Misinformation,” saying the company had fired three people after probing alleged incidents.
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