Solar Companies Scammed Queens Homeowner Into Predatory Loan, Lawsuit Alleges

But she noticed a problem: That contract put her on the hook for $160,000 over the course of the loan, with monthly payments nearly three times higher than Sims said she’d have to pay, according to Campbell, documents, and court filings reviewed by New York Focus. It made no mention of the government programs that he’d promised would help her afford the roof and panels. Campbell maintains she never signed the contract, but it bore her e-signature. She wrote back to cancel the agreement.

Less than a week later, she was emailed a nearly identical contract, with only the date changed. It again had her signature on it, though she said she didn’t sign that one, either. Not long after, she had a new roof and solar panels. And she was still on the hook for just as much money.

“Everything he told me sounded so good,” Campbell said. “Oh, boy, if only I knew.”

Now, Campbell is suing SUNco and its lending partner, Solar Mosaic, with the help of the Legal Aid Society. The lawsuit, filed in federal court on September 5, alleges that the companies forged her signature in order to push her into a deal she cannot afford. It accuses them of “fraudulent, deceptive, and abusive business practices,” as well as discrimination by age and race. (Campbell, who is Black and originally from Jamaica, lives in a predominantly Black neighborhood in southern Queens.)

SUNco’s lawyer, Joseph Asselta, denied the allegations in Campbell’s lawsuit. He said the company “made multiple attempts to communicate with her regarding her concerns” but did not receive a response.

“​​SUNco, a leading provider of solar energy solutions, is dedicated to delivering exceptional service and customer satisfaction,” he wrote in an emailed statement. “We take pride in maintaining transparent and open communication with all of our customers.”

Solar Mosaic’s press office said the company would not comment on “specifics regarding legal matters.” The office wrote in an email, “We strive to create a positive customer experience for every homeowner who chooses Mosaic to finance their sustainable home improvements.”

Sims, the SUNco rep who sold Campbell her panels, said in an interview that he did not remember her but denied any wrongdoing on his or SUNco’s part. (Sims is not named as a defendant in the lawsuit and was not aware of it when New York Focus contacted him.)

He said that numerous parts of Campbell’s story did not make sense. “A lot of people in life have buyer’s remorse,” Sims said. “She’s unhappy for whatever reason. I mean, that doesn’t have anything to do with me.”

Sims denied visiting Campbell a second time. He added by text message that the writing on the yellow paper, which appears in court documents, was “not my handwriting!” Sims is named in at least three other lawsuits from New York City residents against SUNco. In each case, key parts of the residents’ stories echo Campbell’s. Two of the three were brought by homeowners in low-income neighborhoods of color.

Campbell, for her part, said she remembered Sims’s second visit clearly, including him “pounding” on the table as he wrote out his promised terms. As he grew increasingly agitated, she relented and agreed to the deal, again, but this time didn’t sign anything, she said. And this time, she ignored the documents that showed up in her email. Less than a month later, she had a new roof with solar panels on it.

After the installation, she received a bill from Solar Mosaic for $536 — the exact amount listed in the emailed contract — due in November 2024, after a one-year “promotional period” where she didn’t need to pay. Campbell tried to cancel again, but SUNco told her it was too late.

Campbell was horrified. She eventually learned that, not only had she received copies of a new contract — virtually identical to the first — that she said she never signed, but Mosaic had placed a lien on her home. (The lien allows Mosaic to reclaim the solar panels if Campbell defaults on the loan and makes it more difficult for her to sell or refinance her home until it’s paid off.) After she sent the companies a letter attempting to resolve the situation, SUNco went on to say that it had no intention of buying out her lease with the prior solar company as Sims had allegedly promised.

Campbell’s new solar panels still haven’t been turned on. That would require an official inspection that she’s too leery to agree to. The old ones, which she’s still paying for, are just sitting in her backyard. And, as far as she knows, she’s still staring down payments she can’t afford starting in two months.

“She was promised access to clean energy at an affordable price, and that’s not what the defendants are now trying to hold her responsible for,” said Claire Mooney, a Legal Aid attorney representing Campbell in the case.

The lawsuit accuses the companies of fraud, discrimination, and violations of New York business law. It says Mosaic and WebBank also violated a federal law requiring certain disclosures for loan agreements.

Noah Ginsburg, executive director of the New York Solar Energy Industries Association, a trade group for residential and community solar companies, said that New York’s overall track record with rooftop solar has been excellent, thanks in part to what he called the state’s “best-in-class” consumer protections.

“Most solar customers in New York state are happy customers. New York has some of the best consumer protections on the book, and consumer protection is something that we as an industry take very seriously,” he said.

But Ginsburg stressed that unscrupulous companies could cloud that reputation. “If there are bad actors, it undermines our whole industry,” he said. (Neither SUNco nor Solar Mosaic are members of the trade group.)