Solar Panel Maker Appeals $793M Damages Ruling

The dispute stems from a long-term contract to supply a German firm with silicon.

The SolarWorld plant in Hillsboro, Oregon.
The SolarWorld plant in Hillsboro, Oregon.
M.O. Stevens

BERLIN (AP) — German solar panel-maker SolarWorld says it is appealing a U.S. court's ruling ordering it to pay $793 million in damages to Michigan-based supplier Hemlock Semiconductor Corp.

SolarWorld says it expects the appeal against Tuesday's ruling to take about one year.

The company said in a statement Wednesday that it doesn't believe the first ruling can be enforced in Germany anyway, citing European Union anti-trust rules.

Hemlock sued SolarWorld in a dispute over a long-term contract to supply the German firm with silicon that was agreed at a time when global prices for the material were high.

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