Tesla has secured a major legal victory after a California judge ruled that a 2017 lawsuit alleging racial harassment can no longer proceed as a class action. The decision, handed down on November 14 by Alameda County Superior Court Judge Peter Borkon, marks a significant setback for more than 6,000 Black workers at Tesla’s flagship Fremont manufacturing facility.
What Happened in Court
Judge Borkon ruled that the case cannot proceed with class-action status because plaintiffs’ attorneys failed to secure testimony from 200 representative witnesses needed to advance the case to trial. The court had originally directed the plaintiffs to collect sworn depositions from approximately 200 witnesses, whose testimonies would then be used to support claims on behalf of the remaining class members. However, by September 2025, plaintiffs disclosed that many deponents were not appearing for their scheduled depositions.
The plaintiffs attempted to modify their trial plan, requesting permission to proceed with testimony from just 40 witnesses instead of the originally required 200. Tesla opposed this modification and argued that the inability to secure the necessary depositions demonstrated why the class action should be decertified entirely. Judge Borkon sided with Tesla, determining that allowing the class to proceed without adequate witness testimony would jeopardize the court’s ability to guarantee a fair trial with reliable evidence.
What This Means for Workers
The decertification is a procedural victory for Tesla but a setback for the workers involved. Without class-action status, each of the 6,000 potential plaintiffs would need to file individual lawsuits to pursue their claims—a costly and time-consuming process that few low-wage factory workers can afford. This effectively limits Tesla’s legal exposure while potentially weakening workers’ ability to secure significant monetary damages or secure a court-wide order addressing workplace conditions.
Background on the Allegations
The lawsuit dates to 2017 and was initially filed by attorneys from California Civil Rights Law Group, Bryan Schwartz Law P.C., Nichols Kaster LLP, and The DeRubertis Law Firm APC. The complaint alleges that Black workers at Tesla’s Fremont facility have endured pervasive racial harassment. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has also filed federal race discrimination claims against Tesla, alleging that Black employees have “routinely endured racial abuse, pervasive stereotyping, and hostility” since at least 2015.
The case was initially certified as a class action in May 2024 by Judge Noël Wise, but this was reversed by Judge Borkon’s November 14 ruling. Tesla maintains it does not tolerate workplace harassment and has terminated employees engaged in racial misconduct. The company has settled other individual discrimination cases, including a 2025 settlement with former employee Raina Pierce, who alleged a manager regularly used phrases like “Welcome to the plantation” and “Welcome to the slave house”.
The ruling does not address the underlying merits of the racial harassment allegations themselves, leaving open the possibility for individual legal claims to proceed.