Fisker Left Behind Two Clay Models, Hazardous Waste, And Lots Of Trash, Says Landlord

When you move out of a leased property, you’re supposed to return it in the same condition you found it. You can’t be leaving trash everywhere, let alone barrels of waste or bits of old vehicles. As it turns out, Fisker’s ungainly exit from its former headquarters might have left rather an ugly mess behind.

As reported by TechCrunch, the tale is told in a legal filing on Fisker’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy. In addition to owing millions of dollars to creditors like Adobe, Google, and NBC, Fisker also managed to seriously piss off its landlord, Shamrock (La Palma) Properties II, LLC. A submission states that the facility leased to the beleaguered automaker was pretty much trashed when the keys were handed back late last month.

The document reveals that Tony Lenzini, a representative for the landlord, took possession of the premises on September 27, only to find a great deal of property and waste material left behind.  “Shamrock now faces tens of thousands of dollars in cleanup costs, damage repairs, and what appears to me to be hazardous waste removal,” said Lanzini.

A Timeline

Fisker leased the commercial premises in La Palma, California back in April 2022. It later moved its headquarters to the facility in May this year, having abandoned its fancier digs in Manhattan Beach as the money dried up. Court documents indicate the 78,980-square-foot facility had parking for 213 automobiles, with a base rent exceeding $80,000 a month.

Fisker later filed for bankruptcy in June, and it became apparent to the landlord that the company would likely “reject the lease as of the end of September.” Ahead of this, Lenzini sought to gain clarity over what the plan was regarding the La Palma facility. The status of Fisker at this point complicated matters. A company called Heritage Global Partners had apparently purchased some assets on the site, while a group called Huron Business Advisory was acting to manage the restructuring of the failed company.

Corporate collapse spelled out in three simple images.

Lenzini claims he undertook a walkthrough with Huron and Fisker representatives on September 24, and was told that “Nick from Heritage Global Partners would have everything removed by end of day Friday and that the building would be cleaned as thoroughly has [sic] possible.”

It appears that there was an attempt to clean up that failed entirely. In the intervening days, Lenzini noticed people coming and going, grabbing random items and equipment and loading them on trucks. When the morning of the last day came around, the facility was a maelstrom of activity:

I witnessed people hurriedly removing property from the building and loading vehicles with various items. I have no idea who these people were – whether they were Fisker employees, HGP, Huron staff, or friends of either. People were throwing debris everywhere, taking tools, computers, automotive parts, and more, and then returning for another load.

-Tony Lenzini

A Fisker representative named “Fernando” apologized to Lenzini, but stated the facility would still be handed back later that day. He received the keys to the La Palma facility that evening, but offered to stick around for the weekend to allow Fisker’s people more time to remove unspecified vehicles left in the parking lot and remaining items. Ultimately, only one employee showed up, and he says no real further progress was made.

Photos of the aftermath show the facility in total disarray. There are chairs, tables, appliances, and documents scattered all over the place. There’s also a large metal frame assembled out of what appears to be aluminum extrusion, and a full-scale automotive interior model of some sort, too. Fisker also apparently left behind two full-size clay models. One poorly-finished model is clearly a pickup truck, and the other is in the shape of a sleek coupe-like vehicle.

There was also some “hazardous waste” left behind to frustrate matters. According to Lenzini, there appear to be two large drums of oil and coolant, along with a funnel device filled with what appears to be waste oil, along with various other small bottles of chemicals. There are also “approximately 20 automotive-sized batteries” left behind, which appear to be lead-acid car batteries based on the photos. The problem for the landlord is that these materials all need to be disposed of properly, at greater expense than simply chucking everything in landfill. It’s also generally no bueno to abandon hazardous waste in the eyes of the law, and someone is clearly responsible here.

Lenzini has since been fielding multiple calls from “various people” asking for access to the facility to obtain items in the building. This has included people claiming to be or ex-employees wanting to source spare parts. He reports that he is unsure who has been handing out his phone number for this purpose.

At this stage, the landlord finds itself in a difficult position. It has no idea who actually owns the property remaining in the facility, or whether it has been abandoned entirely. The fact that so many people have been calling to gain access to La Palma suggests one or more third parties may have an interest in property left behind. The landlord is requesting clarification on these points so it can ideally clear the property, including any hazardous waste, and return it to a clean state ready for a new tenant. In the meantime, the facility has been locked and left in its current condition. “I am treating La Palma as if it were a crime scene with no property leaving until I receive further direction,” stated Lenzini.

In the most basic terms, Fisker’s collapse has proven to be an ugly one. The company has fallen so flat on its face, that it’s asking customers to cover the costs of recalls. It’s liquidated the last of its stock for ridiculous prices. And now, it’s left its emergency headquarters in a shambles. Sadly, when the money runs out, there’s precious little left for mopping up the damage. Shame.

Image credits: via legal filing