Bankrupt Lordstown Motors should face a trial over fellow EV agency Karma Automotive’s declare that the Ohio-based automaker stole infotainment know-how, Reuters reported Thursday.

Lordstown filed for chapter in June and had requested U.S. chapter Decide Mary Walrath in Wilmington, Delaware, to approve bidding procedures that will permit the corporate to promote its property by September, in accordance with the report.

2021 Karma GS-6

Walrath as a substitute dominated that the sale shouldn’t be expedited as a result of a California court docket is weighing a lawsuit by Karma. Filed in 2020, the lawsuit alleges that Lordstown stole commerce secrets and techniques and poached staff concerned within the improvement of infotainment tech from California-based Karma.

The decide stated Lordstown was not vulnerable to operating out cash earlier than the sale of its property or a verdict within the California case as a result of it entered chapter with over $130 million in money and it owed solely about $20 million to its prime collectors, in accordance with the report.

Lordstown Endurance

Lordstown was fashioned to amass an ex-Common Motors manufacturing unit in its namesake city to construct EVs, beginning with a pickup truck known as the Endurance. The corporate subsequently offered the manufacturing unit to Foxconn, after which contracted with that firm for meeting of Endurance pickups and future car improvement. Manufacturing stalled this spring after a dispute with Foxconn over the discharge of further funding to Lordstown.

Karma has constructed small numbers of vehicles primarily based on the previous Fisker Karma plug-in hybrid, initially badged because the Karma Revero. An up to date model known as the GS-6 launched in 2020, nonetheless utilizing a plug-in hybrid powertrain like earlier iterations. Karma additionally then promised a totally electrical model known as the GSe-6, however that by no means arrived.