Tesla loses bid to move sexual harassment lawsuit to arbitration

div classBodysc17zpet90 cdBBJodivpBy Daniel Wiessnerp

pReuters – A California state judge has rejected Tesla Inc‘s bid to send a lawsuit alleging widespread sexual harassment at the company’s flagship assembly plant to private arbitration, allowing it to move forward in court. pdivdivdiv classBodysc17zpet90 cdBBJodiv

pCalifornia Superior Court Judge Stephen Kaus in Oakland denied Teslas motion to compel arbitration in a brief order without explanation on Monday. p

pLawyers for the plaintiff, Jessica Barraza, had argued that an arbitration agreement she signed was invalid because it improperly required her to bring legal claims in confidential proceedings while still allowing Tesla to sue in open court. p

pBarraza in the lawsuit filed in November claims workers and supervisors at the Fremont, California plant routinely made lewd comments and gestures to female employees, and that the company failed to address complaints. p

pThe lawsuit is one of at least seven pending in California state court to make similar claims against Tesla. Kaus is presiding over five more of those cases.p

pTesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday. Nor did a lawyer for Barraza. p

pAlong with the pending sexual harassment claims, Tesla is facing separate lawsuits accusing it of tolerating widespread race discrimination at its plants. A California judge last month awarded 15 million to a Black former factory worker who said he was subjected to racist slurs and graffiti from coworkers.p

pTesla has said it does not tolerate harassment and has disciplined and fired workers who engaged in misconduct.p

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pp Reporting by Daniel Wiessner in Albany, New York, Editing by Rosalba OBrienp

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