Regina Wilson | California Black Media
Tesla is scheduled to go on trial Sept. 21 in Oakland over California’s allegations of systemic racial harassment, discrimination and retaliation against Black employees.
Opening statements are set to begin Sept. 21 at 9 a.m. in Alameda County Superior Court. The trial had previously been scheduled to begin July 20.
The case, filed by the California Civil Rights Department (CRD) in 2022, will be decided by a judge rather than a jury. The court estimates the bench trial will continue through Oct. 30, with each side receiving about 45 hours to present its case.
CRD sued Tesla following a roughly three-year investigation into conditions at the company’s California facilities. The department alleges Black employees were routinely subjected to racial slurs, including the N-word, sometimes in the presence of — or by — supervisors and managers.
According to the lawsuit, workers at Tesla’s Fremont factory referred to the facility as the “plantation” and called Black employees “slaves.” The state also alleges that Black workers were segregated, assigned more labor-intensive jobs and paid less than non-Black employees.
An analysis cited by CRD found that Black employees’ monthly compensation was $1,533 lower than that of white workers from June 2018 through June 2024. Black employees who complained allegedly faced harsher performance reviews, reprimands and termination.
Tesla has denied wrongdoing in racial discrimination cases and has maintained that it does not tolerate workplace harassment.
