A former Tesla contract worker who was awarded $137 million in a racial discrimination lawsuit last year has seen the verdict reduced to $15 million.
U.S. District Judge William Orrick slashed the amount on Wednesday, calling the original $137 million award “unconstitutionally large,” reports MarketWatch.
The award was one of the largest US history for an individual plaintiff in a racial discrimination case.
In deciding the original case, the jury found that Tesla did not take reasonable steps to prevent the former contractor, Owen Diaz, from being racially harassed during his time at the Fremont factory in 2015 and 2016.
Following the verdict, Tesla’s vice president of people, Valerie Capers Workman, sent a company-wide email contending Diaz only complained about racial discrimination on the factory floor after failing to be hired as a full-time employee and after hiring a lawyer.
Tesla is also currently facing another racial discrimination lawsuit.
In February, the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) filed suit, claiming that Tesla discriminates against black employees at their Fremont, California factory.
Days before the lawsuit was filed, Tesla published a blog post on their website calling it an unfair, counterproductive, and misguided lawsuit.
