(Reuters) – Tesla Inc cannot pause a California civil rights agency’s lawsuit alleging widespread race discrimination at an assembly plant as it separately challenges the agency’s ability to sue employers, a judge ruled on Wednesday.

California Superior Court Judge Evilio Grillo in Oakland said during a hearing that Tesla could pursue its claims the state Department of Fair Employment and Housing failed to meet various requirements before suing the company in February later on in the case, but that staying the lawsuit would be inappropriate.

(Reporting by Daniel Wiessner in Albany, New York; Editing by Chris Reese)