California Judge Halts Class Action in Tesla Racial Harassment Case

A California judge has ruled against allowing 6,000 Black workers at Tesla's flagship plant to sue the company in a class action over racial harassment claims. The decision, reversing a prior ruling, cites insufficient class member testimony. Further individual and state-level cases are still pending against Tesla.

A major legal development unfolded as a California judge blocked a class action lawsuit involving 6,000 Black workers at Tesla's assembly plant, who alleged racial harassment. The decision marks a significant win for Elon Musk's automaker, which faces ongoing individual and state-level discrimination cases.

Superior Court Judge Peter Borkon ruled against moving forward with the class action, citing the inability of plaintiff lawyers to secure sufficient testimony from potential class members ahead of the 2026 trial. Borkon deemed it inappropriate to generalize the experiences of a smaller worker sample to the entire class.

Tesla, which has defended against prior discrimination claims, stated it has a zero-tolerance policy for harassment. The company's legal challenges continue, with a trial involving parallel state claims, as well as federal race discrimination cases, looming.

(With inputs from agencies.)