Tesla is urging a California judge to throw out a lawsuit from the state’s civil rights agency over race bias discrimination.
As per reporting by Reuters, California Superior Court Judge Evelio Grillo is holding a hearing on Tesla’s bid to dismiss the lawsuit. California’s Department of Civil Rights filed the complaint back in February.
The department alleged that Tesla’s Fremont facility was a racially segregated workplace where black employees were harassed and discriminated against.
In the motion to dismiss the case, Tesla noted that the department disregarded its obligations under state law before filing the lawsuit. Per the Tesla legal team, the department should have notified the company of all the claims or given the company the chance to settle.
According to California law, the Department of Civil Rights “shall endeavour” to settle bias claims through either conference, conciliation or persuasion.
However, getting the case thrown out will be a tough hill to climb for Tesla as there is little to no precedent for challenging the powers of anti-discrimination agencies in the state.
So, if Tesla is successful, they would set precedent moving forward.
