The California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH), a civil rights agency, has notified Tesla that they have grounds to file a civil lawsuit against the automaker. The DFEH earlier investigated “undisclosed allegations of racial discrimination and harassment at Tesla’s unspecified locations” in the state.
Tesla disclosed the DFEH notice in a financial filing released Monday. Tesla was notified on Jan. 3, the filing said. Tesla’s current and former employees in the state have filed a series of lawsuits before the DFEH’s notice to Tesla.
In October, a jury in federal court in San Francisco ruled that Tesla should pay Owen Diaz, a former black employee, about $137 million for his hostile work environment. Tesla said in Monday’s filing that “the company does not believe the facts and the law justify the judgment” and said it would appeal if it couldn’t lower the damages in court.