“He never paid us a cent”—man suing Tesla has his own lawsuit-filled past

Enlarge / Workers secure solar panels to a rooftop during a SolarCity Corp. residential installation in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Monday, February 8, 2016. (credit: Sergio Flores/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
In July 2018, Andrew Staples and two other former employees at the Tesla-owned SolarCity, sued the solar power company, alleging age discrimination, sexual harassment, and anti-LGBT slurs. The charges were dramatic—and Staples is seeking serious compensation. (The case was moved to private arbitration in late August.)
An Ars investigation revealed that Staples has been involved in numerous lawsuits. In addition, his former company and his long-faded non-profit collectively owe more than $660,000 across 13 outstanding wage claims filed in California by people who used to work for him.
One of Staples' accusers is Margie Palmer, who worked for Staples' non-profit in 2011. She told Ars she was only paid a couple of times during her employment. In 2012, she won a wage claim and a civil judgement against the foundation for $9,309.09—but she hasn't collected on that judgment yet. In fact, Palmer says she's lost all hope of ever collecting a penny.
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