A federal judge on Wednesday ruled that Tesla is on the hook for a Black employee’s claims that he endured racist treatment when working at the electric car giant. But while U.S. District Judge William Orrick in San Francisco found Tesla liable, he slashed the $136.9 million a jury awarded Owen Diaz to $15 million, finding the previous verdict “excessive.” The former Tesla worker must now decide whether he wants to accept that payout or head back to trial. Diaz had alleged that his supervisors would sling racial slurs at him while he was on the job. “[I] had supervisors telling me, ‘N----r, hurry up and push the button’; ‘N----r, push these batteries out of the elevator.’ And they were also telling me, ‘N-----s aren’t shit,’” the elevator operator said. Judge Orrick’s decision said the evidence “amply supports” the San Francisco jury’s ruling that Tesla should be held liable. He offered $1.5 million in compensatory damages and another $13.5 million in punitive damages.
