Eric Bach, the former chief engineer of Lucid Motors, has filed a federal lawsuit against the company alleging wrongful termination, discrimination, and retaliation. The suit, filed in the Northern District of California, claims that one of the automaker’s top human resources executives referred to Bach as a “German Nazi.”
According to the complaint, Bach was stripped of his responsibilities overseeing the powertrain division in early 2025 following an internal investigation into workplace culture. Bach asserts he was targeted due to his German heritage. He learned of the disparaging comment in mid-2025, months after the investigation began and after he had lost some duties. Bach then encouraged a coworker to report the incident.
Bach claims that Lucid Motors confirmed the HR executive made the remark. He also logged an internal complaint against another company vice president for similarly racist behavior. The lawsuit alleges that Lucid retaliated by attempting to force his resignation in October 2025 before terminating him on November 5, 2025. Lucid’s press release on that day stated only that he had “departed.”
The lawsuit emerges during a challenging period for Lucid Motors. The company is burning through cash as it attempts to ramp up production of its second vehicle, the Gravity SUV. It is also developing more affordable mass-market vehicles on a midsized platform expected to debut in late 2026.
Lucid has experienced significant executive turnover. The company’s vice president of engineering left on the same day Bach claims he was fired. Former CEO and CTO Peter Rawlinson resigned suddenly in February, and a permanent replacement has not been named. The company’s head of investor relations, senior vice president of operations, managing director for Europe, and the vice presidents of software quality and marketing have all departed within the last year.
In the complaint, Bach describes a previously ascendant career at Lucid. As an engineer with a decade at the company, he states he oversaw all hardware engineering, product management, and corporate planning. He claims that Chairman Turqi Alnowaiser praised his loyalty and dedication, and that board member Andrew Liveris signaled Bach would become chief technology officer and could one day become chief executive officer.
Bach alleges the workplace culture investigation, launched in late 2024, was “tainted by HR’s racist beliefs” and initially caused him to lose significant responsibilities. The HR department reportedly told him he contributed to a poor company culture. In addition to losing oversight of the powertrain team, Bach claims he was excluded from board meetings.