Tesla Slams Racial Bias Lawsuit as a ‘Hotbed of Misinformation’

Company posts lengthy rebuttal and an Elon Musk email in full
Lawsuit on behalf of an African-American worker filed Monday

A plug sits connected to a Tesla Inc. Model X electric automobile at a charging point in a parking lot in Frankfurt, Germany, on Friday, Aug. 11, 2017. Germany's government wants carmakers to increase efforts to reach its goal of 1 million electric vehicles on German roads by 2020, Steffen Seibert, Chancellor Angela Merkel’s spokesman, told reporters today in Berlin.Photographer: Alex Kraus/Bloomberg

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By Dana Hull

November 15, 2017 at 7:50 AM UTC

Updated on

November 15, 2017 at 7:27 PM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

Tesla Inc. posted a lengthy rebuttal to a lawsuit alleging racist behavior at one of its factories, saying the company is “absolutely against any form of discrimination, harassment or unfair treatment.”

The blog post, published late Tuesday, is a fiery response to a complaint filed Monday by Marcus Vaughn, an African-American worker at Tesla’s Fremont, California, factory from April until October. He alleged the plant was a “hotbed” of racism, where black workers suffered severe and pervasive harassment. Vaughn said he’s one of more than 100 black workers at the factory and is seeking permission from a judge to sue on behalf of the group.