Tesla Supervisor Says His Reports on Stolen Copper Got Him Fired

Tesla Motors Inc. got hit Friday with a whistleblower retaliation suit in Nevada by a former factory night supervisor who alleges he was fired for reporting the theft of millions of dollars worth of copper wire.

Plaintiff Lynn Thompson alleges he was fired one day after calling the Storey County Sheriff’s Department to report individuals at his job site loading copper onto a truck, which resulted in their arrest.

Thompson says he worked as an electrical superintendent at the Tesla Gigafactory in Sparks, Nev., under a contract with Tesla and ONQ Global when the thefts occurred.

Thompson was terminated because ...