A deaf equipment technician at Tesla’s Gigafactory in Texas says the company dismissed him instead of transferring him out of an extreme-heat work zone that caused his hearing aids to fail, according to a federal lawsuit filed this week.
The complaint, brought by 36-year-old Hans Kohls, argues that Tesla violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by refusing to provide a basic accommodation and then terminating him nine days after he raised concerns.
A Job in 1,220°F Heat
Kohl’s was assigned to Tesla’s high-pressure die-casting department, where aluminum is melted at roughly 1,220°F. The lawsuit says the heat and humidity far exceeded typical industrial conditions and quickly damaged his hearing aids equipment he relies on to interpret alarms, alerts, and spoken instructions.
Kohl’s reportedly had no way of knowing the environment would be this extreme. He told interviewers he was comfortable working in hot industrial settings based on his experience at GST America, where he worked safely for more than a year. Nothing in Tesla’s selection process, he says, hinted at the significantly harsher conditions in the casting department.
“A Highly Qualified Worker” Who Asked for a Simple Transfer
Before joining the factory, Kohl completed Tesla’s competitive START program, a 10-week training course in robotics and advanced manufacturing with a score of 95.7 percent, ranking him in the top tier of his cohort.
Once on site, he reportedly performed well in multiple departments, including Vehicle Validation and Drive Unit, both of which operated in temperatures that didn’t affect his hearing aids.
His request was straightforward: reassign him to one of those departments, or any other cooler area, where he was already trained and had demonstrated success.
His lawsuit states that Tesla never explored alternatives, such as visual alarms, vibrating alerts, or a buddy system, and never discussed available vacant roles, despite continuing to advertise them externally.
Fired Nine Days After Requesting Accommodation
According to the complaint, Tesla HR informed Kohls on June 20, 2024, nine days after his accommodation request, that he was being “medically separated.” The lawsuit includes an audio recording of the meeting.
His attorney, Andrew Rozynski, says the timing and wording make the company’s motives clear.
Tesla had a highly qualified employee who asked for the most basic ADA accommodation. Instead of complying with the law, they terminated him and shut the door on every option,” Rozynski said.
Kohl’s and his wife also lost their health insurance at a time when she was pregnant, adding to the emotional and financial fallout.
A Pattern of Controversy
Tesla did not respond to a request for comment. The company has faced a steady stream of workplace-related lawsuits in recent years from allegations of racial discrimination and sexual harassment in Fremont to claims of unsafe robotics operations and coercive relocation demands.
Kohl’s is seeking damages for discrimination, emotional distress, lost earnings, and harm to his professional reputation.
His lawsuit argues that the ADA exists precisely for situations like this: when a worker with a disability can perform the job, but the employer refuses to meet its legal duty to accommodate.
