In case you missed it, a jury in California this month awarded Owen Diaz the electrifying amount of $137 million in his race discrimination suit against Tesla Inc., including $6.9 million for emotional distress and a walloping $130 million in punitive damages. Diaz put on evidence at trial of repeated use of the N-word at a Tesla factory and a failure to respond effectively to his complaints of discrimination.
Some media outlets falsely reported it to be the largest single-plaintiff employment discrimination verdict ever. In fact, a federal jury in 2014 awarded $186 million to a former manager at AutoZone Stores Inc. in a pregnancy bias case. AutoZone moved for a new trial but settled with the plaintiff on undisclosed terms.
Tesla is expected to appeal the loss, of course. Elon Musk could not be reached for comment.