SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — Tesla agreed to a $1.5 million settlement in a lawsuit filed by a coalition of 25 California counties, including San Diego, accusing the electric vehicle manufacturer of mishandling hazardous waste at various facilities throughout the state.
The settlement was approved by a San Joaquin County court on Wednesday, just two days after the suit was filed by the counties claiming Tesla’s car and energy facilities in the state were improperly disposing of hazardous materials like oil or car batteries in landfills.
Prosecutors said these practices were first uncovered through an investigation by the San Francisco District Attorney launched back in 2018, prompting additional inspections of Tesla centers in other parts of the state and its factory in Fremont.
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San Diego County was among those to conduct investigations into its Tesla facilities. In a statement Friday, District Attorney Summer Stephan says her office’s Environmental Unit looked into the company’s three San Diego-area car service facilities, the findings of which are unclear.