The lawyer for a man who claims he was fired from Silfab in Fort Mill after alerting authorities about the plant operating without an occupancy permit last year said in court Tuesday there were chemicals at the plant in June 2025, before Silfab had permits to operate.
The chemicals were there months before two reported spills in early March, according to Cam Halford, the attorney for Jason Rhoades. In court Tuesday, Halford also alleged Rhoades was kept in a room at the plant for hours after alerting supervisors in June 2025 about what could happen if someone working at Silfab had a problem without the proper temporary certificate of occupancy.
The leaks prompted community outrage and renewed debate over whether the solar manufacturer should be in its location in the first place.
Judge Bill McKinnon said to Halford, “These are some serious allegations you are making.”
Halford told McKinnon: “We’re just getting started.”
Silfab has denied Rhoades’ allegations in court documents and has sought dismissal of the lawsuit.
Rhoades and Halford were in court Tuesday because Silfab sought to strike an amended lawsuit filed in the case after the initial filing last summer had a typographical error in the spelling of Rhoades’ name, then a second amended suit was issued without notification to Silfab. Silfab’s lawyer, Daniel Fuerst, agreed to allow the case to move forward because Halford told Fuerst he would refile the correct documentation if he had to.
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