Enlarge / Tesla factory in Fremont, California, on September 18, 2023. (credit: Getty Images | Justin Sullivan )

Tesla must face a class-action lawsuit from nearly 6,000 Black people who allege that they faced discrimination and harassment while working at the company's Fremont factory, a California judge ruled.

The tentative ruling from Alameda County Superior Court "certifies a class defined as the specific approximately 5,977 persons self-identified as Black/African-American who worked at Tesla during the class period from November 9, 2016, through the date of the entry of this order to prosecute the claims in the complaint."

The tentative ruling was issued Tuesday by Judge Noël Wise. Tesla can contest the ruling at a hearing on Friday, but tentative rulings are generally finalized without major changes.