Black ex-Tesla worker who claimed racial abuse awarded $137M

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A jury in San Francisco says Tesla must pay nearly $137 million to a Black former worker who said he suffered racial abuse at the electric carmaker’s San Francisco Bay Area factory. The jury in San Francisco agreed Monday that Owen Diaz was subjected to racial harassment and a hostile work environment. Diaz was an elevator operator at the Fremont factory in 2015 and 2016. He alleged that he faced daily harassment from co-workers, including use of the “N-word,” and that swastikas and racist graffiti and drawings were put up at the plant. Tesla didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.