Tesla trial opens: state alleges 'rampant racism' at Fremont plant, Tesla lawyer's N-word remarks draw backlash
California's Civil Rights Department began its bench trial against Tesla over alleged racial discrimination at its Fremont factory, and Tesla's lead attorney's opening remarks ignited controversy.
What to know
- A California state lawsuit filed in 2022 against Tesla, alleging systemic racial discrimination at its Fremont factory, went to trial with opening statements on Monday.
- State lawyers presented photographic evidence of racist graffiti and testimony of slurs used against Black workers as often as 50-100 times a day.
- Tesla's lead attorney opened by repeatedly saying the N-word, arguing it was used as a greeting rather than a slur, drawing sharp social media criticism.
- The bench trial, decided by Judge Peter Borkon without a jury, is expected to run through the end of October and could force changes to Tesla's labor practices since the state is not bound by employee arbitration agreements.
“You want to hang from a tree?”
unnamed Black Tesla worker (recounted by Watson), Tesla factory worker · Guardian World ↗ · Sep 20
Brett Watson Lawyer, California Civil Rights DepartmentTyree Jones Lead trial lawyer for TeslaJudge Peter Borkon Presiding judgeTesla Defendant/employer
Elon Musk Owner of Tesla
How it unfolded 2 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articlesposts
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Social media reacts to Tesla lawyer's opening remarks
A Mastodon post highlighted and reacted with shock to Jones's repeated use of the N-word during his opening statement, amplifying scrutiny of Tesla's defense strategy.
“What’s up my [N-word], my [N-word] …”
— Tyree Jones, Tesla's lead trial lawyer · source -
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The Guardian: Black Tesla employees accuse company of fostering racial discrimination in major trial Lawyers say Black employees at Tesla experienced ‘rampant racism’ that was left unchecked for years at their flagship factory in California (September 21, 2026) https://www. theguardian.com/technology/202…
2 more of the top 3 · 5 posts in this stretch
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Wow, looks like Tesla's lawyer in this giant racial discrimination case is uhh.... Wow .... "Tyree Jones, the lead lawyer for Tesla, began his opening statements repeatedly saying the N-word in a familiar tone. “What’s up my [N-word], my [N-word] …,” Jones said, adding that “none of which is used as a racial slur.” “By this action, the state of…
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"The trial is expected to run into late October. Because it’s prosecuted by the state itself — rather than a traditional class-action — there’s no limit to the damages Tesla could be liable for if the state wins." Damages should be so high that the state can seize # ApartheidClyde 's company and liquidate it to fund # reparations . https://…
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Tesla denies wrongdoing, calls lawsuit 'misguided'
Tesla said it has always disciplined and terminated employees who use racial slurs or harass others, and pointed to its majority-minority Fremont workforce and industry-leading pay as evidence against the allegations.
“These experiences cannot be dismissed as a few bad apples … hundreds of complaints to Tesla and [the Civil Rights Department] will show these experiences were not isolated.”
— Brett Watson, California Civil Rights Department lawyer · source -
background
Tesla's lead lawyer opens with repeated use of the N-word — Tyree Jones, Tesla's lead trial lawyer, began his opening statement by repeatedly saying the N-word, arguing it was used as a greeting among Black workers rather than as a slur, and called the state's case an attack on that form of address.
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background
Trial opens with California's opening statement against Tesla — Lawyer Brett Watson for the state showed photos of racist graffiti including the N-word, swastikas, the Confederate flag and 'go back to Africa' found throughout the Fremont plant, and said hundreds of complaints show the abuse was not isolated.
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background
California sues Tesla over alleged Fremont factory racism — The California Civil Rights Department filed a lawsuit against Tesla alleging the company violated the Fair Employment and Housing Act by allowing a racially segregated workplace where Black employees were paid less, promoted less and terminated more often.
Also covered reported alongside — the timeline has no entry for these yet
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first by Jalopnik, 4d ago · also Bloomberg Law News, CleanTechnica, CNET, TheGrio
4 more headlines
- Tesla Workers Endure Rampant Racism, California Says at Trial Bloomberg Law News · 4d ago
- Tesla Racism Trial Launches CleanTechnica · 4d ago
- Black Workers Allege Systemic Racism at Tesla as Landmark California Trial Begins CNET · 2d ago
- Black Tesla employees say years of racism went unchecked as company faces California trial TheGrio · 2d ago
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first by Yahoo, 4d ago · also Guardian, Quartz
2 more headlines
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first by Reuters, 4d ago · also Investing.com News, Yahoo Finance
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first by marketscreener.com, 4d ago · also TheGrio
1 more headline
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first by Mastodon, 1d ago · also Futurism
and 2 smaller pieces
What people are saying 3 voices from 2 sites · best of 6 · verbatim
- Today
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Jeśli ktoś jeszcze ma ci wątpliwości, że Melon to faszystowska gnida „According to numerous complaints filed by workers, plant management routinely used the n-word and reffered to the rank-and-file as “slaves.” That horrifying pattern of rhetoric earned the facility a reputation as a “plantation” among workers” https://…
- Sep 22
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https://www. europesays.com/3265627/ Black Tesla employees accuse company of fostering racial discrimination in major trial | Technology # business
- Sep 21
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For those who buy a car built by a nazi, you may find this interesting: Tesla faces major trial for alleged bias against Black workers, after years of lawsuits(reuters.com)