Electric car manufacturer Canoo accuses former employees of theft!

Canoo claims that a number of former employees stole its intellectual property to create Harbinger Motors.

Canoo accuses several former employees of having joined the company with the intent of stealing its trade secrets. It also adds that these same employees joined Canoo to create a new startup. The company has filed a lawsuit against Harbinger Motors in the California court.

Canoo Files 17 Complaints

Harbinger Motors was launched in September. The company is led by a series of former executives from Canoo, Faraday Future, and QuantumScape. Among these employees are quite well-known figures, including CEO John Harris, CTO Philip Weicker, COO Will Eberts, and Vice President of Structures and Chassis, Alexi Charbonneau, all of whom are cited in Canoo’s complaint, reports Insider.

The general counsel of Harbinger and former Vice President of Canoo, responsible for legal affairs, is also named in the complaint. The company that signed a contract with NASA has filed 17 complaints. It accuses the individuals involved of intellectual property theft, violation of trade secret policies, violation of employee separation agreements, and more…

33 Former Employees in Focus

“This is a case of corporate espionage by a serial con artist group that infiltrated Canoo to steal its intellectual property (including confidential information and trade secrets) and its human capital,” writes Canoo in its complaint. The executives named in the case “always intended to own and control their own EV company. And they were determined to do so without letting anything stand in their way.”

According to Canoo, Harbinger stole its modular chassis and other technologies for use in medium-sized vehicles such as delivery vans, school buses, and others. Canoo further alleges that its competitor deliberately poached members of its workforce. It claims that Harbinger recruited at least 33 of its employees. In a statement, Harbinger expressed confidence in its actions. It describes Canoo’s lawsuit as “baseless.” Harbinger and its co-founders have always operated with the utmost integrity and have never engaged in actions that would give rise to this baseless lawsuit. While we cannot provide further comments at this time, we are confident in our position. We will vigorously defend ourselves against any baseless allegations made by Canoo,” they responded. The story is likely to inspire Hollywood screenwriters, avid fans of such scandals!

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