Former Tesla worker rejects $15 million award in racism case

By The Associated Press

A Black former Tesla worker who said he was harassed and faced with “daily racist epithets,” including the “N-word,” while working at the company’s Fremont, California, plant has rejected a substantially reduced award of $15 million in his lawsuit. Owen Diaz worked at the Tesla plant in 2015 and 2016 as a contracted elevator operator before quitting. He was originally awarded $6.9 million in damages for emotional distress and $130 million in punitive damages in the case. A Wednesday filing says a judge slashed that to $15 million, which Diaz turned down. Diaz’s rejection could mean a new trial in the case.