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Ex-Tesla employee awarded $137M in 2021 offered $3.2M after rejecting judge’s $15M suggestion

(Credit: Tesla)

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On Monday, a federal jury in San Francisco noted that Tesla must pay about $3.2 million to Owen Diaz, a former employee who won a racial harassment lawsuit against the electric vehicle manufacturer. This amount is significantly lower than the $15 million Diaz rejected last year in favor of a new trial.

Back in 2021, another jury awarded Diaz $137 million, comprised of $7 million in damages for emotional distress and $130 million in punitive damages. Diaz had accused Tesla of failing to respond to his repeated complaints about racist slurs, swastikas, and racist caricatures while he was working as an elevator operator at the Fremont factory.

US District Judge William Orrick noted that Tesla was indeed liable in Diaz’ case, but the $137 million was excessive. He lowered the jury award to $15 million. Diaz rejected the judge’s lowered award, opting for a retrial instead. 

“In rejecting the court’s excessive reduction by asking for a new trial, Mr. Diaz is again asking a jury of his peers to evaluate what Tesla did to him and to provide just compensation for the torrent of racist slurs that was directed at him,” Diaz’s lawyers noted at the time. 

During his closing arguments on Friday, Bernard Alexander, a lawyer for Diaz, encouraged jurors to award the former Tesla employee almost $160 million in damages. According to Diaz’s lawyers, awarding $160 million in damages would send a message to companies like Tesla that they would be held accountable for similar actions. 

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“Mr. Diaz’s outlook on the world has been permanently changed. That is what happens when you take away a person’s safety,” the lawyer said. 

Tesla lawyer Alex Spiro, on the other hand, took issue with the plaintiff’s points. “They’re just throwing numbers up on the screen like this is some kind of game show,” Spiro said. 

The jury ultimately awarded Diaz $175,000 for emotional distress and $3 million in punitive damages.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk expressed his belief that the verdict would have been zero if the judge had permitted the company to present new evidence during the retrial. Nonetheless, Musk stated that he respected the jury’s decision. Tesla, for its part, maintains that it takes worker complaints seriously and does not tolerate discrimination in the workplace.

“If we had been allowed to introduce new evidence, the verdict would’ve been zero imo. Jury did the best they could with the information they had. I respect the decision,” Musk commented on Twitter.

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Simon is an experienced automotive reporter with a passion for electric cars and clean energy. Fascinated by the world envisioned by Elon Musk, he hopes to make it to Mars (at least as a tourist) someday. For stories or tips--or even to just say a simple hello--send a message to his email, simon@teslarati.com or his handle on X, @ResidentSponge.

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Elon Musk

Tesla owners doxxed by controversial anti-DOGE website in clear intimidation tactic

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Credit: CBS Colorado

Tesla owners are being doxxed by a controversial anti-DOGE website in what it called an act to “empower creative expressions of protest.”

Dogequest, a website that has been created with a clearly outlined use for intimidation against Tesla owners, posted the names, addresses, phone numbers, and other contact information of those who own vehicles made by the electric vehicle manufacturer.

It was spotted by 404 Media.

The site also claims to have the information of employees at the Department of Government Efficiency, as well as the addresses of Tesla dealerships and the locations of Tesla Superchargers. The latter two are public information.

However, the website is hoping to get Tesla owners to sell their vehicles in this evident intimidation tactic. However, the information on the website, while it was seen, was not verified to prove that it contained the information of real-world Tesla owners. The site was not accessible by Teslarati at the time of publication.

The creation of a site like Dogequest is just another level that anti-Elon Musk activists are taking to attempt to destroy a company like Tesla as its CEO works with the Trump Administration to eliminate excessive government spending through the work of DOGE.

It is also the latest attack on Tesla owners, who have seen their vehicles vandalized, damaged, and even destroyed by those who disagree with the actions of Musk.

Tesla as a company has also seen several acts of retaliation against it, as everything from the arson of its showrooms and vehicles to it being kicked from the popular Vancouver Auto Show have come as a result of the recent backlash against the company.

Moving forward, there are still questions surrounding how these attacks will be combatted. The Trump Administration has indicated that acts of vandalism against Tesla would be considered a federal crime, but the tricky part of locating the culprits has proven to be extremely difficult. Only a handful have been found and held accountable.

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Tesla gets an upgrade on ‘upcoming material catalysts’

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(Source: Tesla)

Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) received an upgraded rating on its shares from Wall Street firm Cantor Fitzgerald, who recently took a trip to Austin to visit the company’s data centers and production lines ahead of several high-profile product launches set for this year.

It was a bold move, especially considering Tesla shares are under immense pressure currently, fending off negative news regarding the company’s sentiment and potentially lower-than-expected delivery figures due to the launch of a new version of its most popular vehicle, the Model Y.

However, the bulls on Wall Street are still considering Tesla to be a safe play, especially considering its robust presence in various industries, including automotive, energy, and AI/Robotics.

Cantor Fitzgerald analyst Andres Sheppard said in a note that, during a recent visit to Tesla’s Cortex AI data centers and the production line at Gigafactory Texas, it was clear there is a lot of potential and runway for Tesla in 2025:

“On 3/18, we visited Tesla’s Cortex AI data centers and the factory’s production lines ahead of the company’s introduction of its Robotaxi segment (targeted for June in Austin, followed by CA later in 2025). With Tesla’s shares now down ~45% YRD, we upgrade Tesla to Overweight (from Neutral) ahead of upcoming material catalysts. Our $425 12-month PT is unchanged. Our Thoughts: Attractive Entry Point Ahead of Material Catalysts.”

Sheppard went on to mention the catalysts, which he believes are the Robotaxi rollout in Austin in June, along with the continued rollout of Full Self-Driving in China, the eventual rollout of FSD in Europe, and the introduction of the affordable models in the first half of this year, and those were just on the automotive side.

There are several others, including Optimus, growth in the energy division, and in the longer term, the Semi.

In terms of potential weaknesses, Sheppard expects the likely removal of the EV tax credit and some of its growth to be offset by tariffs as the two big things that stand in the way of even more growth for the company.

Tesla is up over 5 percent on Wednesday, trading at $236.86.

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Tesla kicked from popular auto show as event succumbs to protest pressure

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Credit: Sawyer Merritt/X

Tesla has been kicked from a popular automotive show as the organizers of the massive event have succumbed to the pressure of protestors and others who oppose the electric vehicle maker.

The Vancouver Auto Show in Canada announced that it would not allow Tesla to establish a presence at the event this year, citing concerns about potential disruption from protestors and others who have been vocal about their distaste for the company and its CEO, Elon Musk.

Eric Nicholl, executive director of the Vancouver Auto International Show, said (via The Hill):

“The Vancouver Auto Show’s primary concern is the safety of attendees, exhibitors, and staff. This decision will ensure all attendees can be solely focused on enjoying the many positive elements of the event.”

Tesla was reportedly given several opportunities to voluntarily withdraw from the Vancouver Auto Show. The company evidently declined these invitations. Reps of the event itself then took it into their own hands, stating that the company would not be welcome at the event any longer.

Musk’s involvement in the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) under the Trump Administration seems to be the main culprit for so much pushback from the opposition.

Protest groups and organizers have put together various acts of opposition against Tesla, some more reasonable than others, in an effort to show their distaste for the company and Musk. However, many of these acts have turned violent, resulting in the vandalism or even the total destruction of vehicles. It’s one thing to use your right to protest, and it’s another to destroy people’s personal vehicles or property that belongs to the automaker.

The decision by the Vancouver Auto Show sets a dangerous precedent that the violence and destruction tactics used by groups that oppose Tesla will work. Ultimately, people’s safety is most important, but there is the impression that shows will not take the proper precautions to ensure that all companies are able to show off their products and tech at the event.

This could have been resolved with other strategies, and axing Tesla from the show altogether could result in some fans boycotting the show altogether.

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