Judge finds Tesla liable for fraud in Solar Roof case — SkimNews
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- Cynthia Freeland deemed Tesla liable for fraud and negligent misrepresentation on September 11 after it missed another discovery deadline, limiting trial on those claims to compensatory and punitive damages. Tesla asked the trial court on October 29 to freeze the case while petitioning the California Court of Appeal; the November 20 trial date was removed and a readiness conference is set for December 4.
- Conroy v. Tesla: Tesla stipulated to liability on breach of contract, breach of warranty and negligence—three of five claims. The roughly $110,000, 18.2-kW Solar Roof never passed inspection or produced electricity; Conroy says repairs will cost well over $2.5 million, and Tesla offered $5,000 to settle.
- San Diego Superior Court ordered Tesla to pay $15,467.50 in February and another $13,500 in June for failing to produce a privilege log and responsive documents; the missing material included Teams messages, OSHA logs, inspector emails and more than 20 internal quality, installation and safety reports.
- Tesla asked Cynthia Freeland to reconsider, but on October 27 she rejected the request, saying the late-produced documents could support Conroy’s theory that Tesla “knowingly used Plaintiff’s home as an experiment while knowing they lacked the experience to perform as promised.”
- Elon Musk is on Conroy’s witness list, and Conroy’s side characterizes January 13, 2021 texts from Tesla’s Bobby Yang as describing the job as an “experiment,” with daily reports to Musk; Electrek had not seen the texts themselves.
- RJ Johnson wrote in February 2021 that the at-least-59-plane job would “skew numbers” but Tesla needed “to make it right.” According to the complaint, it was Tesla’s largest attempted job at the time; Johnson was fired in April 2021, and the project passed through at least seven managers.
- Ambrose Conroy’s electrical expert found that Tesla’s wiring and conduit created a short-circuit and fire risk in heavy rain after opening part of the roof in summer; the roof is now coming off. Tesla’s lawyers countered that Conroy’s counsel called the finding “counterintuitive,” after a February 2025 inspection failed when Tesla arrived without venting plans.
Why it matters: Even if the fraud sanction is reversed, Tesla’s contract-breach and negligence admissions still go to the jury, alongside Conroy’s claimed repair bill above $2.5 million and testimony about a short-circuit and fire risk. The roof is already being removed, and the withheld Teams messages and texts remain the key evidentiary dispute.
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