The logo of car manufacturer Tesla is seen at a dealership in London, Britain, May 14, 2021. REUTERS/Matthew Childs

• Separation pacts could be misleading, judge says
• Workers say Tesla flouted law requiring 60 days' notice of layoffs
• Judge won't nix agreements signed since lawsuit was filed

Sept 19 (Reuters) - Tesla Inc must notify factory workers who were laid off in the last three months of a proposed class action accusing the electric carmaker of failing to give adequate notice before engaging in mass layoffs, a federal magistrate judge has ruled.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Susan Hightower in Austin, Texas said on Friday that separation agreements Tesla asked workers who were terminated to sign may have been misleading and caused them to waive their rights under the federal law requiring employers with 100 or more employees to give 60 days' notice of layoffs.

Hightower, however, denied a request by the plaintiffs who sued Tesla in June to bar the company from communicating with potential class members and to strike down separation agreements Tesla has procured since the lawsuit was filed, saying it was too broad.

A representative of Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Shannon Liss-Riordan, who represents the plaintiffs, said on Monday that Tesla has been trying to get workers to sign away their right under federal law to 60 days of pay while offering them only a week or two of pay.

Liss-Riordan in an email said Tesla chief executive Elon Musk "called...

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