Tesla hit with another sexual harassment lawsuit in US

An electric car maker Tesla has been hit by a second sexual harassment lawsuit in the US within a month, in which a female employee alleged that her manager "hugged and massaged her" and she experienced "continuous and pervasive" sexual harassment.

San Francisco: Elon Musk-run electric car maker Tesla has been hit by a second sexual harassment lawsuit in the US within a month, in which a female employee alleged that her manager "hugged and massaged her" and she experienced "continuous and pervasive" sexual harassment, the media reported.

According to a report in Business Insider, Erica Cloud, an assembly line worker at Tesla's Fremont, California-based factory, filed the lawsuit. The lawsuit claimed that she faced "sexual harassment on a near-daily basis" from her former manager.

It also said the manager would "get on his knees and propose marriage", as well as "hug and massage" her. She rejected the advances on multiple occasions. In the spring of 2020, the manager allegedly told Cloud "on several occasions that she is 'blackenese' and he 'is big down there'", according to the lawsuit.

Cloud accused the electric car maker of failing to prevent "a pattern of continuous and pervasive" sexual harassment at its Fremont factory in California. Tesla was yet to comment on the second lawsuit that has been filed within a month.

A female Tesla employee last month filed a lawsuit against the company, accusing the automaker of creating a hostile work environment where sexual harassment was "rampant".

According to a report in The Washington Post, Jessica Barraza, a production associate who works on the Tesla Model 3, said in a lawsuit that she was subjected to constant harassment at the Tesla's factory in Fremont, California, "including catcalling and inappropriate physical touching".

"After almost three years of experiencing all the harassment, it robs your sense of security -- it almost dehumanises you," she was quoted as saying in the report. The lawsuit alleged "rampant sexual harassment at Tesla," alleging "nightmarish conditions" and a factory floor that "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".

Tesla produces its Model S, Model 3, Model X, and Model Y electric vehicles at the Fremont plant. In October, Tesla was ordered to pay $137 million to a former contractor at the same plant, who alleged he was subjected to racial harassment.

IANS