--- title: "Judge Blasts Tesla as Fraudulent for Selling Junk Solar Panels That Never Worked" description: "A judge has found Tesla liable for fraud, in a long-running lawsuit over a disastrous solar panel installation." date: "2026-11-14" modified: "2026-11-14" authors: - name: "Joe Wilkins" job_title: "Correspondent" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jwilkins.md" url: "https://futurism.com/science-energy/judge-blasts-tesla-fraud-solar-roof-panels" categories: - "Advanced Transport" - "Energy" - "Renewable Energy" - "Science & Energy" - "Solar Power" - "Tesla" --- # Judge Blasts Tesla as Fraudulent for Selling Junk Solar Panels That Never Worked ![A render of Tesla's Solar Roof tiles.]() *Tesla / Futurism* Like many of its experimental products, Tesla's Solar Roof — a solar panel array engineered to look like discreet roof tiles — has been a [stunning failure](). Nowhere is that flop more apparent than on the roof of Ambrose Conroy, a California homeowner who's spent over six years battling with Tesla over the solar installation from hell. According [to *Electrek*](), the whole saga began back in 2020, when Conroy entered an agreement to buy a 13.1 kW photovoltaic system from Tesla. Though the process was supposed to take a few weeks, it ran years late, as compounding errors and logistical disasters threw the project into chaos. A year into the grueling setup, costs had overrun by the tens of thousands of dollars as no less than seven project managers cycled in and out, making communication and accountability nearly impossible. By Spring of 2021, Conroy was ultimately on the hook for a $110,000 bill — nearly $30,000 more than the initial price he agreed to pay. By April of 2022, Tesla was offering to buy Conroy out of his contract with a paltry settlement of just $5,000 — after the company's technicians had obliterated his roof and left it covered in damaged solar panels (during the lawsuit, an expert witness went on to testify that the unit's roughshod wiring created a short-circuit and fire risk.) That's when Conroy decided to [file a lawsuit](), which is only now nearing the trial phase. A judge has now ruled Tesla acted fraudulently when it sold Conroy the initial $82,000 rooftop solar panel system, which the lawsuit says went on to cause an astounding $2.5 million in total damages. Tesla has conceded to breaching its contact, as well as general negligence. But the company has fought on nearly every other claim of the case, earning it two sanctions from the judge for failing to produce internal documents. Those withheld documents may be damning — as *Electrek* notes, previous filings indicate that executives including Tesla's director of model engineering Bobby Yang and possibly even Elon Musk himself were being kept abreast of the disastrous installation. **More on Tesla:** *[Tesla Starts Humiliating Prospect of Returning Cybertruck Deposits It Couldn't Deliver On]()* ## Author At Futurism, I focus on the intersection of technology and power — examining the economics, history, and politics behind today’s dystopian headlines. As a writer, I’m interested in topics ranging from AI’s impact on labor to startups nobody asked for. My prior work includes bylines in Jacobin, Verso, and Blue Labyrinths. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Forbes, The Guardian, MIT Technology Review, Time, The Nation, Mother Jones, The Verge, and Wired. I grew up in Michigan, attending Central Michigan University as well as Ball State University, where I earned a master of music. I now live in Brooklyn with my girlfriend and our cat Ziti. On weekends, you can find me hunched over a cold pint arguing geopolitics with the other transplants. ### Author social links [Bluesky]() ## More - [Tesla Is Giving Up on Solar Roof Tiles as Elon Musk Leans Into Fossil Fuels]() - [Tesla Owner Builds Solar Array That Folds Out of Model Y Roof]() - [Elon Musk Announces That SolarCity Will Create a Roof Made Entirely of Solar Panels]() - [Tesla Reportedly Canceling Solar Roof Installations Across the Country]() - [Tesla Just Unveiled Its Newest Solar Panels]() - [Tesla’s Solar Roofing Tiles Have Officially Begun Production in Its Buffalo Factory]() - [Tesla Unveils Trailer With Pop-Out Solar Panels]() - [New Cybertruck Wrap Adds Solar Panels All Over It]()