Скачать или смотреть Tesla Held Liable In a Racial Abuse Case for $137 Million

Tesla was held liable for $137 after a worker endured racist abuse from co-workers. Reinhard explains how he recommends creating a safe work environment and avoid liability in today's #MorningMusing.

Why is Tesla liable for $137 million. Hello, this is a Reinhard von Hennigs. The federal court held Tesla liable in that amount of $137 million after one worker endured a hostile work environment and racist abuse. It is not only remarkable because Tesla has a mandatory arbitration agreement and this was set aside for this matter, but also that the jury awarded an amount of $6.9 million for emotional distress and $130 million for punitive damages.

As a business owner, you may wonder how can I avoid punitive damages? Punitive damages are there to punish you or better the other way around to make sure that you comply with the laws in a way that there is no host work environment.

What are the facts of the case? The former employee came through a staffing agency and he was being subjected to racial slurs and "go back to Africa" was one of the phrases used. Did Tesla have the right measures in place to avoid such a hostile work environment? Or even more important, if there is such a hostile work environment, what are the internal ways of complaints?

In other words, if you are subject to any hostile work environment, be it on your national origin, be it on your sexual orientation, your religion, be it on your gender, your gender orientation, or whatever it is. We always advise companies to have an internal platform. Whereas those complaints can not only be tracked but also followed up with.

Tesla, in my opinion, was subject to this high fine as they did not have the internal methods in place to stop the spread of any of these remarks. And therefore, it is the easy takeaway for all of the European-owned, foreign-owned companies entering the United States market not to be discouraged by this high verdict, but take a lesson out of it or to learn, and especially what to implement to avoid it.

And as I said earlier, Such an internal review system and internal complaint system, a hotline, a mailbox, an email address, an anonymous drop opportunity. All those are methods, which would do the trick if you follow up with them. Just to have it is not enough, but the follow-up is what's needed.

#449, October, Tesla, liability, punitive damages, racism, discrimination.


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