Judge finds Tesla liable to Black former worker who alleged bias, but slashes payout

FILE PHOTO: A logo of the electric vehicle maker Tesla is seen near a shopping complex in Beijing, China January 5, 2021. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/

(Reuters) -A federal judge said on Wednesday Tesla Inc was liable to a Black elevator operator who said the electric car company ignored racial abuse at the factory where he worked, but reduced a nearly $137 million jury award to $15 million.

U.S. District Judge William Orrick in San Francisco ruled after jurors last October found that Tesla subjected Owen Diaz to a hostile environment at Tesla's factory in Fremont, California by allowing and failing to stop the racism he faced.