Rivian, the electric vehicle manufacturer, is facing a new wave of legal challenges as four separate lawsuits have been filed against the company, alleging harassment and discrimination by top executives and a lack of action by the company's leadership to address these concerns. The lawsuits, filed by four employees, accuse Rivian's chief designer, Jeff Hammoud, and former chief operating officer, Frank Klein, of harassment and creating a hostile work environment.

Two of the lawsuits, filed in California's Orange County Superior Court, center around Hammoud, who has been with the company since 2017. One lawsuit, filed by former color, material, and finish team director Elizabeth Curran in February 2024, accuses Hammoud of being "prone to irrational outbursts of anger," often directed at women in leadership positions. The other lawsuit, filed by sculptor Nathan Facciolla in October 2024, alleges Hammoud created a hostile work environment and made inappropriate comments about Facciolla's wife.

Both employees claim they reported Hammoud to HR, but no disciplinary action was taken. A third lawsuit, filed in federal court last month by line worker Jeremiah Powe, accuses Klein of assault and battery after he allegedly pulled Powe to the ground for violating the company's dress code. Powe told local law enforcement that he believed Rivian didn't properly investigate the alleged incident.

Rivian has also reached settlements in three other harassment and discrimination cases, according to court records. One lawsuit, filed by production worker Nicole Hawkins in February 2024, claimed she was physically harassed and threatened by a coworker, and when she reported this to Rivian's human resources department, no action was taken. The case is potentially being settled, as the docket now shows Hawkins' attorney is asking for a dismissal.

These lawsuits come just a few years after Rivian's former head of sales and marketing, Laura Schwab, sued the company over allegations of sexual discrimination and wrongful termination. Schwab claimed that founder and CEO R.J. Scaringe had "surrounded himself with a tight-knit group of men" who created a "toxic bro culture" that resulted in "blatant marginalization" of women. She said she was fired two days after she brought her experience to HR.

Schwab's lawsuit and her blog post about the company's culture garnered a lot of attention ahead of Rivian's blockbuster IPO in 2021. But she quietly settled with the company six months later and dismissed the lawsuit, court records show. Her lawyer declined to comment on the settlement.

Oscar Ramirez, a lawyer representing both Curran and Facciolla, told TechCrunch in an interview that these new lawsuits suggest little has changed following Schwab's case. "There seems to be a general pattern of high-ranking managers engaging in completely insane behavior and targeting employees for any number of protected activities, or because of their characteristics," he said.

Rivian declined to comment on the claims made by each employee, citing the fact that the lawsuits are ongoing. However, Marina Hoffmann, Rivian's VP of global communications, said in an emailed statement that "Rivian is committed to providing an outstanding workplace free of harassment, discrimination, and retaliation." She added that the company has "explicit policies that address appropriate conduct in the workplace and all employees, including executives, are required to follow these policies."

The lawsuits and settlements raise concerns about Rivian's internal culture and its ability to address harassment and discrimination allegations. As the company continues to grow and expand its operations, it remains to be seen whether it can overcome these cultural challenges and provide a safe and respectful work environment for its employees.