Tesla is a 'hotbed for racist behavior,' class-action lawsuit claims

Tesla has faced lawsuits over discrimination before. Now, the automaker has been slapped with a class-action complaint that claims Tesla is a "hotbed for racist behavior" across one of Tesla's factories.

Former Tesla employee Marcus Vaughn filed the lawsuit in California's Alameda County Superior Court Monday on behalf of black workers at Tesla's Fremont factory. Vaughn describes a work environment where he was often called the n-word by supervisors and coworkers. He complained to Tesla's human resources department and was fired in October for "not having a positive attitude."

"Although Tesla stands out as a groundbreaking company at the forefront of the electric car revolution, its standard operating procedure at the Tesla factory is pre-Civil Rights era race discrimination," the lawsuit says.

Tesla has been sued for gender discrimination, anti-LGBTQ harassment, unlawful firings, and ageism. An October lawsuit over racial discrimination also described a work environment where racial slurs were common.

According to Vaughn's lawsuit, Tesla CEO Elon Musk told Tesla factory employees in May that when they were faced with harassment they should, basically, suck it up.

“Part of not being a huge jerk is considering how someone might feel who is part of [a] historically less represented group,” Musk wrote in an email. “Sometimes these things happen unintentionally, in which case you should apologize. In fairness, if someone is a jerk to you, but sincerely apologizes, it is important to be thick-skinned and accept that apology.”

Tesla responded with a blog post outlining its problems with the lawsuit's version of events, including the conditions surrounding Vaughn's employment at Tesla. Read Tesla's full response here.