Tesla Sues Calif. County for Forcing Closure of Factory During COVID-19 Pandemic

SAN FRANCISCO — Tesla Inc. has sued Alameda (Calif.) County, accusing it of overriding the governor’s COVID-19 stay-at-home order allowing essential businesses to remain open by forcing its Fremont, Calif., factory to close.

In a May 9 complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, Tesla further contends that the county has threatened to impose criminal penalties for violations of its orders, despite lacking the authority to do so.

“Thus, Alameda County has not only created a legal quagmire by wrongly declaring that its own orders trump the state- level orders, it has threatened jail …