Diaz was a former
elevator operator at Tesla’s assembly plant in California. He accused Tesla of racial discrimination.
In an order released on
Tuesday, Orrick reaffirmed his decision to reduce the jury’s award from nearly $137 million to $15 million.
He stated that Diaz had
no controlling question of law to justify an immediate appeal of the reduced award.
Orrick further explained that
permitting an immediate appeal “would further delay [the] resolution of a case that is already five years old.”
Lawyers representing Diaz disagreed
with Orrick’s statements. They said a question of law related to damages for emotional distress justified an immediate appeal.
Judge Orrick
reduced the jury’s award to Diaz on April 13.