A female worker at Tesla’s Fremont factory has filed a lawsuit against the company, accusing it of fostering a culture of “rampant sexual harassment,” which led to “nightmarish conditions,” according to reporting from the Washington Post.
The complaint was filed to the California Superior Court in Alameda County by Jessica Barraza, 38, a production associate working on the Tesla Model 3.
The suit, acquired exclusively by the Post, alleged that Barraza was subjected to a litany of sexual harassment throughout her almost three years at the electronic vehicle company.
She said in the suit that the company "more resembles a crude, archaic construction site or frat house than a cutting-edge company in the heart of the progressive San Francisco Bay area."
Among the series of experiences, Barraza claimed she was subjected to cat-calling and aggressive physical touching, alleging co-workers would brush up against her backside multiple times a week. She alleged that employees described her using terms such as “Coke bottle figure,” “onion booty,” “fat a--,” “fat a-- t--ies,”
She said such harassment "almost dehumanizes you."
Berraza noted that the harassment starts at the top of the company with CEO Elon Musk, specifically referencing the tweet below as giving permission for other employees to act inappropriately (the acronym of Texas Institute of Technology and Science would be T.I.T.S).
Berraza claimed she filed multiple complaints to Tesla's human resources department in September and October which detailed her experiences. She said the company never addressed her problems, according to the Post.
The paper spoke to three other employees who corroborated with “aspects” of Berraza’s account, either saying they witnessed such harassment against her or experienced it themselves.
KCBS Radio reached out to Tesla for comment and has not received a response.
The most recent accusations come just over a month after the company was ordered to pay $137 million to a former employee who alleged he was subjected to a plethora of racist harassments.
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