Panasonic, SolarCity Panel Reseller Advance Competition Lawsuit

Panasonic Corp. of North America must face allegations that it defamed Kinect Solar LLC, a reseller of SolarCity-brand panels Panasonic manufactured for Tesla Inc., but it can also advance false advertising counterclaims against Kinect, a federal judge in Texas ruled.

Judge Lee Yeakel gave most of the case a green light, saying he would adopt a recommendation issued in October by Magistrate Judge Susan Hightower “for substantially the reasons stated therein.”

The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas in April by Kinect, which accuses Panasonic of meddling in the secondary market for ...