Photo: Tesla/Fremont Police Department
Tesla Fremont has become – or has always been – a mine of bad news for the EV maker. By 2018, an ex-employee accused the company of concealing drug trafficking there. Two workers have recently won lawsuits due to racism there. The company already faces multiple lawsuits for sexual harassment. On December 13, it added murder to this nasty list.
According to the Fremont Police Department, Anthony Solima and the victim had been arguing on the production lines earlier that day. They worked together for Tesla, and Solima walked off the job suddenly. The identity of the murdered Tesla worker has not been disclosed so far.
With elements that made Solima the main suspect, the Fremont Police Department went after arrest and search warrants on December 14. The suspect lived in Milpitas, where he was finally arrested. In his car, the police discovered “a loaded, non-serialized, .223 caliber, short-barrel rifle“ with an “expended casing.”
It seems the case will soon be closed because there are no other suspects of the crime. The fact that both Solima and the victim worked in Fremont makes things really hard for Tesla. As usual, the company did not reply to any request for comments about the murder.
If Tesla cannot prevent racism, sexual harassment, drug trafficking, and murder on its premises, it is fair to ask what role the HR (human resources) department has at all. Tesla may soon discover that it is something it can live without – as it lacks PR (press relations) or marketing departments. In the end, it makes absolutely no difference in the lives (or deaths) of Tesla workers. If Tesla announced it would just get rid of it, it would not surprise us.
While the company does not do that, it is fighting to cut the punitive damages award it was sentenced to pay to Owen Diaz, the contract worker that sued Tesla for racism. Considering all that the Fremont factory is going through, there’s a substantial risk that courts may think the penalty was too light.
With elements that made Solima the main suspect, the Fremont Police Department went after arrest and search warrants on December 14. The suspect lived in Milpitas, where he was finally arrested. In his car, the police discovered “a loaded, non-serialized, .223 caliber, short-barrel rifle“ with an “expended casing.”
It seems the case will soon be closed because there are no other suspects of the crime. The fact that both Solima and the victim worked in Fremont makes things really hard for Tesla. As usual, the company did not reply to any request for comments about the murder.
If Tesla cannot prevent racism, sexual harassment, drug trafficking, and murder on its premises, it is fair to ask what role the HR (human resources) department has at all. Tesla may soon discover that it is something it can live without – as it lacks PR (press relations) or marketing departments. In the end, it makes absolutely no difference in the lives (or deaths) of Tesla workers. If Tesla announced it would just get rid of it, it would not surprise us.
While the company does not do that, it is fighting to cut the punitive damages award it was sentenced to pay to Owen Diaz, the contract worker that sued Tesla for racism. Considering all that the Fremont factory is going through, there’s a substantial risk that courts may think the penalty was too light.
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