{"id":24422,"date":"2025-11-17T16:29:55","date_gmt":"2025-11-17T16:29:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.insurancejournal.com\/?p=847968"},"modified":"2025-11-17T16:29:55","modified_gmt":"2025-11-17T16:29:55","slug":"california-judge-enables-tesla-to-undo-race-bias-class-action-by-black-factory-workers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.lifeinsurance-orleans.ca\/index.php\/2025\/11\/17\/california-judge-enables-tesla-to-undo-race-bias-class-action-by-black-factory-workers\/","title":{"rendered":"California Judge Enables Tesla to Undo Race Bias Class Action by Black Factory Workers"},"content":{"rendered":"<div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insurancejournal.com\/img\/social\/opengraph\/ij-social-lawsuits-1200x630.png\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\"><\/div>\n<ul class=\"nav nav-tabs tabs tabs-entry\">\n<li class=\"active\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insurancejournal.com\/news\/west\/2025\/11\/17\/847968.htm\">Article<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.insurancejournal.com\/news\/west\/2025\/11\/17\/847968.htm?comments\" rel=\"nofollow\">0 Comments<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"article-content clearfix\">\n<p class=\"reuters\">A California state judge has ruled that 6,000 Black workers at Tesla\u2019s flagship assembly plant cannot sue over alleged racial harassment as a class, reversing an earlier ruling in a major victory for CEO Elon Musk\u2019s electric vehicle maker.<\/p>\n<p>California Superior Court Judge Peter Borkon late on Friday ruled that the 2017 lawsuit could not move forward as a class action because lawyers for the plaintiffs were unable to find 200 class members willing to testify ahead of a trial scheduled for 2026.<\/p>\n<div class=\"bzn bzn-sized bzn-intext\">\n<ins data-revive-zoneid=\"79\" data-revive-topics=\"lawsuits,legislation,manufacturing\" data-revive-companies=\"tesla\" data-revive-block=\"1\" data-revive-id=\"36eb7c2bd3daa932a43cc2a8ffbed3a9\"><\/ins> <\/div>\n<p>Borkon said he could not trust that the experiences of a smaller sample of workers could be applied to the entire class.<\/p>\n<p>A different judge had certified the class in 2024, but Borkon said that was based on the belief that a trial in the large-scale case would be manageable.<\/p>\n<p>Tesla and lawyers for the plaintiffs did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Monday.<\/p>\n<p>The company has said that it does not tolerate workplace harassment and that it has fired employees who were engaged in racial misconduct.<\/p>\n<p>The named plaintiff, former assembly-line worker Marcus Vaughn, alleged that Black workers at the Fremont, California factory were subjected to a range of racist conduct including slurs, graffiti and nooses hung at their workstations.<\/p>\n<p>A trial had been scheduled for next April, two months before a separate trial involving similar claims against Tesla by a California state civil rights agency.<\/p>\n<div class=\"bzn bzn-sized bzn-intext-2\">\n<ins data-revive-zoneid=\"162\" data-revive-topics=\"lawsuits,legislation,manufacturing\" data-revive-companies=\"tesla\" data-revive-block=\"1\" data-revive-id=\"36eb7c2bd3daa932a43cc2a8ffbed3a9\"><\/ins> <\/div>\n<p>Tesla is also facing race discrimination claims in federal court in California brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which enforces federal anti-discrimination laws. The company has settled other race discrimination lawsuits involving single plaintiffs.<\/p>\n<p>The case is Vaughn v. Tesla, California Superior Court, Alameda County, No. RG17882082.<\/p>\n<p><em>(Reporting by Wiessner in Albany, New York; Editing by Will Dunham)<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"tagtag\"> <span class=\"tagtag\">Topics<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insurancejournal.com\/lawsuits\/\" class=\"btn btn-sm btn-primary tagtag\">Lawsuits<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insurancejournal.com\/location\/california\/\" class=\"btn btn-sm btn-primary tagtag\">California<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insurancejournal.com\/legislation\/\" class=\"btn btn-sm btn-primary tagtag\">Legislation<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insurancejournal.com\/company\/tesla\/\" class=\"btn btn-sm btn-primary tagtag\">Tesla<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insurancejournal.com\/manufacturing\/\" class=\"btn btn-sm btn-primary tagtag\">Manufacturing<\/a> <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-poll\" data-post=\"847968\">\n<div class=\"article-poll-vote\">\n<p>Was this article valuable?<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-poll-feedback voted-no\">\n<form class=\"feedback-form\">\n<p>Thank you! 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