- In the filing, Walmart claims Tesla's solar panels caused fires on seven store roofs, causing millions of dollars in damages.
- The filing includes images of scorched roofs and significant damage.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories .
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Walmart lawsuit photos reveal scorched roofs and massive damage as it claims Tesla solar panels caught fire at 7 stores
Walmart filed a lawsuit against Tesla's solar energy unit in New York state court on Tuesday.
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Walmart claims Tesla's solar panels caused millions of dollars in damages in a new lawsuit, providing photos that appear to show scorched roofs and ruined solar panels as evidence.
On Tuesday, Walmart filed a suit accusing Tesla's solar-energy subsidiary, then called SolarCity, of gross negligence. According to Walmart, seven stores caught on fire due to "widespread negligence" of Tesla employees that resulted in solar panels catching on fire.
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The complaint includes images of scorched roofs and significant damage. Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.
Scroll on to see Walmart's evidence of Tesla's alleged negligence.
A fire broke out on the roof of a Walmart store in Indio, California on May 29, 2018.
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SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK COUNTY OF NEW YORK: COMMERCIAL DIVISION
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Walmart says that the fire resulted in $8 million in damages.
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Court filings
According to Walmart, more than $6 million worth of merchandise was destroyed.
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Court Filings
According to the complaint, an investigation into the fire revealed a number of maintenance and installation issues.
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Court Filing
Another fire occurred later in 2018, on the roof of another Walmart store in Yuba City, California, according to the complaint.
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Court Filing
The fire allegedly took place after Tesla de-energized the roof. According to the filing, wires on the rooftop were still sparking when Walmart discovered the fire.
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"Equally troubling, after Tesla technicians visited the rooftop, one of the technicians failed to close the cover to a combiner box, exposing this important piece of equipment to the elements and thereby creating a firehazard. Still more troubling, Walmart subsequently learned (independent of Tesla) that a potentially dangerous ground fault alert had occurred at the Yuba City site during the summer of 2018. Tesla either ignored the alert or deliberately failed to disclose it to Walmart," the complaint states.
"The issues that caused that ground fault alert likely caused or contributed to the subsequent fire in the fall of 2018, revealing Tesla's utter incompetence or callousness, or both," the complaint continues.
According to the complaint, Walmarts review of sites where the fires took place revealed "a troubling pattern of deficiencies, negligence, and failure to satisfy Prudent Industry Practices."
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Court Filing
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Walmart allegedly marked hotspots with tape, preventing sunlight from reaching the panel and exacerbating the problem.
Walmart claims that Teslas inspectors failed to identify dangerous hotspots
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"The prevalence of hotspots on the Tesla systems reflected a long-term pattern of negligence that had gone ignored for years and had not been addressed by proper maintenance procedures," the complaint states.
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SEE ALSO: Some Tesla customers who ordered the Solar Roof have no idea when they'll get it
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