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☆ The gag order in Trump's civil fraud case not surprising, legal expert says, but he's not likely to face a fine or jail time if he breaks it
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The judge in Trump's civil fraud trial issued a gag order after Trump repeatedly attacked the court clerk. However, a legal expert told Insider Trump isn't likely to face those kinds of consequences. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe trial judge in the New York civil fraud case against former President Donald Trump on Tuesday issued a gag order against the former president after he repeatedly attacked the court clerk in social media posts. The gag order was issued in the $250 million civil fraud case in New York against Trump, in which Justice Engoron has already found that Trump deceived investors by falsely inflating his property values, committing years of fraud. The more Trump violates the rules, the more the judge has to act to maintain integrity and control," Alexander said.

Persons: Trump, —, Donald Trump, Arthur Engoron's, Chuck Schumer, Engoron, general's, Bernard Alexander, Alexander Morrison, Fehr, Alexander, Trump's Organizations: Service, Trump, Trump Organization, New Locations: New York, Los Angeles

☆ Tesla was ordered to pay $3.2 million in damages to a former employee in a racial discrimination case
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Former Tesla employee Owen Diaz was awarded $3.2 million in damages after suing the company. The verdict stems from a 2017 complaint that he faced racist abuse and Tesla failed to prevent it. Diaz had previously refused a $15 million award in the case and filed for this new trial. In 2021, Tesla was ordered to pay $137 million in damages over the suit, but the amount was slashed to $15 million by a judge who argued the previous jury had awarded an "unconstitutionally large" sum. In 2022, Owens rejected the $15 million award, instead opting for a new trial — this one, where he was ultimately awarded a lower amount.

A judge agreed with that jury that Tesla was liable but said the award was excessive. He ordered a new trial on damages after Diaz declined the reduced $15 million award. But it could be cut even further because punitive damages are typically capped at no more than nine times the amount of damages for emotional distress and other injuries, Saba said. The punitive damages awarded by the jury on Monday were nearly 20 times the damages for emotional distress. The first jury in 2021 awarded Diaz $7 million in damages for emotional distress and a staggering $130 million in punitive damages.

☆ Jury orders Tesla to pay more than $3 million to Black ex-worker who endured racist abuse
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Lora Kolodny | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Diaz, a Black man, was hired as a contract worker at Tesla in 2015 through a staffing agency. Diaz and Tesla sought a retrial to decide damages after Judge William H. Orrick reduced the amount to $15 million. "No Black man in 2015 should ever be subjected," Alexander said, "to this plantation mentality workplace." The plaintiffs asked the jury to consider punitive damages around $150 million for Tesla, and to award Diaz $6.3 million in past non-economic damages, and $2 million in future non-economic damages. As CNBC has previously reported, where it is legal to do so, Tesla has compelled employees to agree to mandatory arbitration.

He opted for a new trial on damages after a judge agreed with that jury that Tesla was liable but significantly reduced the award to $15 million. Tesla and lawyers for Diaz did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the verdict. The first jury in 2021 awarded Diaz $7 million in damages for emotional distress and a staggering $130 million in punitive damages. On Friday, Orrick denied a motion by Diaz's lawyers for a mistrial. Orrick said those questions were related to other incidents discussed in the first trial, and that Diaz's lawyers had not shown that the questioning prejudiced the jury.

“It made me feel less than a man (and) it made me question my worth,” Diaz said. Diaz rejected the lower payout and opted for a new trial on damages before a different jury. Tesla has maintained that it does not tolerate workplace harassment and takes discrimination complaints seriously. The lawyer testified that while Tesla had adopted adequate anti-bias policies, the company failed to properly investigate and respond to complaints from Diaz and other Black workers. Reporting by Daniel Wiessner in Albany, New York Editing by Matthew LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

The five-day trial on damages, in federal court in San Francisco, comes after a jury in 2021 found Tesla liable for discrimination and ordered the company to pay Diaz $137 million. Diaz rejected the lower payout and opted for a new trial on damages before a different jury. Tesla has maintained that it does not tolerate workplace harassment and takes discrimination complaints seriously. The lawyer testified that while Tesla had adopted adequate anti-bias policies, the company failed to properly investigate and respond to complaints from Diaz and other Black workers. Reporting by Daniel Wiessner in Albany, New York Editing by Matthew LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Diaz's lawyers rejected the lower payout and opted for a new trial on damages. Alex Spiro, a lawyer for Tesla, told the jury that any racist conduct at the plant was indefensible. As at the last trial, Diaz and several employees and managers at the Fremont plant are expected to testify. U.S. District Judge William Orrick last year reduced the compensatory damages to $1.5 million and the punitive damages to $13.5 million. The U.S. Supreme Court has said punitive damages typically should be no more than 10 times compensatory damages.

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