A previously unknown investor based in London has intervened in the bankruptcy sale of electric vehicle startup Canoo, urging a Delaware judge to halt the planned purchase of the company’s assets by its own CEO, Anthony Aquila. In court filings, the investor, Charles Garson, described the sale process as fundamentally “flawed.”
Garson, whose professional background appears largely rooted in real estate investment according to publicly available records, has formally offered $20 million for Canoo’s assets—significantly more than the $4 million cash bid submitted by Aquila, Canoo’s CEO. Aquila’s offer also involves forgiving roughly $11 million in debt owed by Canoo to Aquila’s financial firm.
Garson’s lawyer filed a motion Friday requesting the court vacate the asset sale to Aquila, asserting Garson had placed forward a superior offer. Court filings indicate that Garson had been assured by the bankruptcy trustee managing Canoo’s asset disposition that he would have until late April to finalize his bid. Contradicting that understanding, however, the trustee went ahead with a sale hearing just days later, culminating in finalizing the deal with Aquila on April 11.
Neither Garson nor his attorneys have explained publicly why he is interested in Canoo, and a collection of supporting documents provided by Garson in sealed exhibits offers no additional insight into his motivations or whether he represents broader investor interests.
Garson isn’t the first party to challenge the sale. Harbinger Motors, another EV startup founded by former Canoo employees, objected to the Aquila deal prior to its completion. Though the Delaware bankruptcy judge dismissed that objection, Harbinger Motors subsequently filed an appeal challenging the decision.
Court proceedings earlier in April revealed that several potential buyers had shown interest in Canoo’s assets, including at least one unidentified group whose bid the trustee believed might have prompted scrutiny from the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) because of potential overseas ties. It remains uncertain whether Garson was connected to that unnamed entity mentioned by the trustee.
Garson’s court filing characterizes his willingness to finalize a deal as having been overlooked and claims he was misled by the trustee’s assurances. According to the filing, Garson refrained from formally objecting to the sale or submitting his bid prematurely, believing he had ample time to improve the details of his offer.
Legal representatives for both Canoo’s bankruptcy trustee and CEO Aquila have so far declined to comment or have not responded to requests for feedback on these latest developments.
