SAN FRANCISCO (Legal Newsline) – Consumers have filed a class-action lawsuit against manufacturing companies over allegations they failed to disclose purported defects in Sanyo solar photovoltaic panels.
Myra Dickert and Howard Dickert, on behalf of themselves and all others similarly situated, filed a complaint on Aug. 2 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California against Sanyo Energy (U.S.A.) Corp., Sanyo North America Corp., Panasonic Corp. of North America and Does 1-20 citing allege violation of the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act and Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act.
According to the complaint, the plaintiffs purchased defendants' solar photovoltaic panel models and allege the products are defective as the panels progressively lose actual power output and to fail, resulting in power output degradation.
The plaintiffs claim defendants have long been aware of the defects but has allegedly failed to disclose the defects to purchasers before and after awareness of them. As a result, the panels' defects allegedly causes serious safety risks, including the risk of fire.
The plaintiffs hold Sanyo Energy (U.S.A.) Corp., Sanyo North America Corp., Panasonic Corp. of North America and Does 1-20 responsible because the defendants allegedly made misleading and inaccurate disclosures concerning the extent and severity of the defects and the products affected by it.
The plaintiffs request a trial by jury and seek compensatory damages, injunction relief, costs, attorneys' fees, and for such further legal or equitable relief as the court may deem appropriate. They are represented by David M. Birka-White and Steven T. Knuppel of Birka-White Law Offices in Danville, California; John D. Green of Farella Braun & Martel LLP in San Francisco; and Charles E. Schaffer of Levin, Sedran & Berman in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California case number 5:18-cv-04664-NC