REJECTED

Ex-Tesla Employee Rejects $15M Racism Suit Award After Judge Slashes Massive Payout

Owen Diaz’s attorneys called the payout reduction unjust and have asked for a new trial.

A $137 million payout awarded by a jury over an allegation of racism at Tesla was slashed to $15 million by a judge—and now the plaintiff has turned every cent of it down. Attorneys for Owen Diaz, a former elevator operator at the company, called the payout reduction unjust in a statement filed in San Francisco court on Tuesday, according to Bloomberg News. Diaz plans to seek a new trial, his lawyer told the outlet, five years after filing his original complaint against Tesla, which described a hostile work environment rife with racial slurs, swastikas, and caricatures. ““Mr. Diaz seeks to restore a fair and just punitive damages award that will punish and deter Tesla for the racist conduct to which Mr. Diaz was subjected and to prevent future harassment from occurring,” attorney Larry Organ said in an emailed statement. U.S. District Judge William Orrick lowered the jury payout in April, roughly six months after Diaz was awarded the original $137 million verdict.