Tesla ‘Hotbed’ of Racism Lawsuit Gains Momentum in California

Tesla Inc. is waging a losing battle to stop a Black assembly line staffer from trying to add more than 100 other workers to his 2017 lawsuit calling the electric-car maker’s production floor a “hotbed for racist behavior.”

The company is set to ask a California appeals court Thursday to block ex-employee Marcus Vaughn from seeking class-action status to represent other workers. But the three-judge panel issued a tentative ruling rejecting Tesla’s arguments.

In his complaint five years ago, Vaughn claimed racial discrimination and harassment were widespread at Tesla’s factory in Fremont, California. Tesla responded to the suit with a ...