Tesla has asked a U.S. judge to kindly pause one of its ongoing lawsuits regarding racial bias and the harassment of Black workers, Reuters reports. Why put a pause on something that important? Well, Tesla has a few other similar harassment lawsuits it wants to get cleared up first. No big deal.
The lawsuit that Tesla wants to put on hold was filed last September. In it, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) alleged that Tesla has tolerated a hostile working environment toward its employees of color at its Fremont, California, factory by failing to investigate complaints of racial conduct and firing any employees who raise valid concerns about their treatment. The lawsuit was raised because the EEOC was unable to negotiate with Tesla.
While the EEOC lawsuit addresses similar claims as two other lawsuits that Tesla is currently involved in, this one involves action brought by a federal agency. The other cases involve a 2017 class-action lawsuit brought by workers of Tesla’s Fremont factory, and a 2022 lawsuit brought by a California civil rights agency. Both of the previous cases are playing out in state court and involve California’s specific anti-discrimination policies. The EEOC suit addresses a different federal law banning workplace harassment.
Tesla’s lawyers petitioned to postpone the EEOC trial until the other two lawsuits are resolved, stating, “Simultaneous prosecution of the state court actions and this case will involve substantial duplication of effort, create a significant risk of inconsistent court rulings, and result in an inefficient and wasteful use of judicial resources.” That’s likely in part because Tesla feels the claims of harassment are a “false narrative.” Tesla also claims that the EEOC “rushed” the lawsuit as part of “toxic interagency competition” with the aforementioned California civil rights agency.
There is precedent for Tesla’s request. The Colorado River abstention doctrine is a legal principle that allows federal courts to hold off on hearing a case while similar cases regarding the same issues are playing out in state courts.