UPDATED 00:23 EDT / MARCH 28 2017

EMERGING TECH

Tesla slapped with lawsuit from former worker who claims he was racially harassed

Tesla Inc. is facing a discrimination lawsuit from a former factory worker who claims that, among other things, he was racially harassed while working on the company’s car line in Fremont, California.

DeWitt Lambert, a 44-year-old man previously from Alabama, joined Tesla in the summer of 2015 until he left in the spring of 2016 after being faced with racist slurs and lewd behavior from other workers, including being referred to as the “N-word.”

Lambert claims that he told his managers, along with Tesla’s human resources department of the issues but they failed to act beyond training sessions for staff reminding them not to be racist.

In a suit filed with the Alameda County Superior Court Monday, Lambert has filed 11 counts against the company, including claims of Race Harassment, Race Discrimination, Sexual Harassment, Retaliation, Failure to Prevent Harassment, Discrimination and Retaliation, Threats of Violence in Violation of the Ralph Act, Violation of the Bane Act, Failure to Accommodate, Failure to Engage in the Interactive Process, and Assault and Battery.

“This was my dream job and it turned into a nightmare,” Lambert said in a statement. “When I began working at Tesla I was happier than I’ve ever been. Now, I’ve experienced discrimination worse than anything I experienced growing up in Alabama and I’m scared for my safety every evening when I leave the plant. I asked for help from Tesla’s management and it never came.”

While the large number of claims might sound a touch over the top, where the case finds alleged legitimacy is with a video Lambert’s co-workers filmed on his phone that included threats of violence and racial terminology.

Tesla responded to the claims stating that it had dropped the ball when it came to Lambert’s case.

“In reflecting back on the steps taken then, we don’t feel like we met our standard in terms of how we handled the people involved in that situation,” Tesla Managing Counsel Carmen Copher told NBC Bay Area. “We also pointedly don’t believe we met our standard in how the investigation was handled.”

It’s not clear from the materials provided to SiliconANGLE what level of compensation Lambert is asking the court to provide.

The video that is at the center of the case as follows (strong language warning).

Photo: California Civil Rights Law Group

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