Tesla is asking a judge to stay a lawsuit filed by the California Civil Rights Administration accusing the company of racial discrimination and harassment at its Fremont, California factory.
In a filing with Oakland state court, Tesla said it was also being investigated by another civil rights agency over similar allegations, accusing both agencies of engaging in a “turf war.” The news was first reported by Reuters.
Last February, the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) filed a lawsuit against Tesla, accusing the company of operating a “racially segregated” workplace.
Tesla announced that it is also under investigation by the US Equal Opportunity Commission
In its court filing this week, Tesla announced that it is also under investigation by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). The company accused DFEH of rushing its lawsuit to get ahead of the EEOC investigation, calling it a “sober investigation,” according to Reuters.
Tesla is asking the court to stay the DFEH lawsuit until it is able to resolve the EEOC investigation. The company also accused DFEH of violating a state law that requires it to meet certain thresholds before suing an employer.
This isn’t the first time DFEH and EEOC have clashed over allegations of harassment of employees. The state agency recently lost a bid to block EEOC’s $18 million settlement with Activision Blizzard on allegations of gender discrimination and sexual harassment. Last summer, DFEH filed a lawsuit against Activision Blizzard, alleging the company encourages a culture of “persistent sexual harassment.”
Tesla has faced numerous allegations of racial discrimination and harassment at its Fremont plant. Last October, a jury awarded a black former Tesla employee $137 million in damages after he accused the company of ignoring racial abuse and discrimination. (A judge later reduced that award to $15 million.)
The company also paid $1 million to another black former employee who said he was called the N-word by a supervisor. Tesla is currently facing a class action lawsuit alleging racism at its flagship factory.