A TROUBLED electric vehicle startup has been accused of leaving its headquarters space in disarray and with hazardous waste after filing for bankruptcy, a lawsuit has claimed.
Fisker, the automotive company behind the popular Ocean EV SUV, declared bankruptcy in June and has since moved out of its manufacturing location in La Palma near Anaheim.
However, in a new lawsuit filed by landlord Shamrock Properties II, LLC, Fisker allegedly abandoned its headquarters and left the property in disarray without clarifying who would clean up the debris.
Tony Lenzini, a representative for Shamrock, said in the filing that the landlord is facing “tens of thousands of dollars in cleanup costs, damage repairs, and what appears to be hazardous waste removal,” according to TechCrunch.
After abandoning the property, Fisker left behind trash, hazardous waste, and several life-size clay models of SUV models that were in the works, the lawsuit claims.
Lezini claims the struggling automaker assured them that Heritage Global Partners, a liquidation auction company, would be responsible for clearing the space by September 27.
But, over the course of several days, Lenzini said he saw several people pulling items out of the office and warehouse and loading up trucks and cars.
“[The people] were throwing debris everywhere, taking tools, computers, automotive parts, and more, and then returning for another load,” Lenzini claims.
The representative said there was no official record of what items were being taken or who the people were.
On the other hand, Heritage Global Partners told TechCrunch that it agreed with Fisker to purchase specific office equipment, including furniture and other items, and was set to be given access to the space on September 30.
However, the liquidation company said its moving crew was denied access to the property on the agreed-upon date.
Lenzini said the property was in complete disarray and riddled with debris, including two 50-to-55-gallon drums, one that contained oil and another that contained coolant, according to the lawsuit.
Approximately 20 automotive batteries were left on the property, and several Fisker vehicles were abandoned in the parking lot.
Among the items left behind were full-size clay Fisker car models.
“My concern is that I do not know what chemicals have been left in La Palma,” Lenzini said in the suit.
Heritage Global Partners told TechCrunch chemicals and car batteries were not part of its purchase agreement with Fisker.
The U.S. Sun has reached out to Fisker for comment.
Fisker filed bankruptcy in June after failing to reach a potential partnership with Japanese automotive giant Nissan to produce its electric vehicles.
The EV automaker launched in 2016, attempting to follow a similar playbook to Tesla by offering a well-designed electric car with dozens of unique features.
On October 11, Fisker received court approval of its bankruptcy liquidation plan as a way to preserve the company’s $46 million sale of its remaining inventory of about 3,000 Ocean SUVs.
A judge ruled that under Fisker’s bankruptcy plan, the company could repay creditors with remaining assets after selling off its vehicle fleet.
Fisker’s troubles
Fisker endured a blistering six months of headlines – here is what happened to the company:
Fisker was one of the most-watched EV brands leading up to its consumer launch.
However, once the brand hit the open market, dozens of financial struggles and vehicle quality complaints contributed to the company’s eventual bankruptcy filing.
Financially, Fisker was late to several SEC filings.
The company also struggled to maintain investments after burning through $1 billion in cash from individual investors.
Fisker was delisted from the New York Stock Exchange in April 2024 after its stock fell “abnormally low.”
Its consumer-facing product also struggled after it hit the market.
The Ocean was built in Europe before it was shipped to customers in the US.
Customers complained about months-long waiting periods before receiving their vehicles.
Then, several buyers said they had quality concerns.
Famously, Marques Brownlee called the Ocean the “worst car I’ve ever reviewed,” citing several technical glitches.
The company claimed Brownlee tested a car before it received technical updates.
