Inside the Solar Win: How to Beat a Solar Company Fraudster in 60 Days*
- Solar Loan Cancellation and a Settlement Including Attorney Fees
Solar fraud is a blight across Texas. Homeowners are sold promises of lower electricity bills and easy savings, then left with expensive financing and systems that fail to deliver. At The Moster Law Firm, we are NOT NICE to solar companies that deceive our clients. We go after them aggressively.
In a September settlement handled by our Dallas office, that approach helped secure an agreement requiring complete cancellation of the client’s remaining solar loan balance, plus a $5,000 payment inclusive of attorney fees and costs. Here is the work behind that win.
The Sales Pitch That Traps Homeowners
The pitch often starts with a cold call or a knock at the door. The salesperson asks what the homeowner pays for electricity, then presents a solar purchase or lease package supposedly costing less each month. The promise is that the panels will substantially reduce, or entirely eliminate, the electric bill. The homeowner is told the savings will cover the solar payment and leave money to spare.
In the deceptive transactions we challenge, that confident promise falls apart. The homeowner still receives an electric bill, now alongside a solar payment. Equipment may underperform, remain unfinished, or never become operational. A salesperson cannot honestly guarantee that every homeowner will always pay less without accounting for actual production, utility charges, financing costs, and the terms of the deal.
Another sales tactic is the promised government “refund.” A tax credit is not a guaranteed cash payment. For eligible installations through December 31, 2025, the federal Residential Clean Energy Credit was nonrefundable: its use depended on federal income tax liability, with unused amounts eligible for carryforward. That credit is unavailable for systems placed in service after December 31, 2025. Selling a homeowner an automatic refund without checking eligibility or timing can turn a supposed benefit into another broken promise.
Inside Our Dallas Solar Case
Our client’s dispute involved alleged fraud in the sale of a solar panel system that never operated and never received utility approval. The client faced a loan obligation tied to equipment that had not delivered the promised benefit.
The agreement also had a serious documentation problem: Exhibit A omitted payment terms. Together with the system’s failure to operate, that omission gave us grounds to challenge the transaction and investigate enforceability. We approached the case with a clear objective: obtain meaningful relief from the financial burden.
First, We Build the Evidence
We met with the client and developed the facts in enough detail to prepare an affidavit. We focused on who made the representations, what was promised, why the client relied on those promises, and what happened after the agreement was signed.
That level of detail matters. A properly prepared affidavit gives us the client’s firsthand account under oath and can provide evidence supporting the claim. We build the demand around specific facts that the other side must confront.
Our approach connects the sales representations to the contract, the system’s failure, and the client’s losses. That preparation puts us in a position to explain both why the transaction should be challenged and what relief we are demanding.
We Use the DTPA as a Sword
The Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act, or DTPA, gives qualifying consumers powerful remedies for deceptive conduct. We used it as a sword in this case, presenting the fraud claims forcefully and making the potential consequences clear.
When the required knowing conduct is proved, the DTPA can permit up to three times economic damages. A prevailing consumer is also entitled to attorney fees and court costs. That potential exposure gives a well-supported demand real force.
We examine everyone’s role in the transaction, including the salesperson, solar company, installer, and lender. Depending on the evidence and applicable law, responsibility can extend beyond the company that sold the panels. In covered financing transactions, the FTC Holder Rule may also preserve claims and defenses against the lender or holder of the credit contract. We pursue every party against whom the evidence and law support relief.
An Aggressive Demand Backed by the Ability to Litigate
We sent a detailed, aggressive demand to the parties involved, including the lender. We laid out the factual basis of the dispute, asserted the available claims, included the client’s affidavit, and pressed for relief that would address the client’s losses. We hit hard because the evidence supported a strong position.
The DTPA generally requires at least 60 days’ written notice before filing a suit for damages. We use that period to press for a meaningful resolution and prepare the next steps. It is an opportunity to settle, not a promise that every case will end within 60 days.
With 18 aggressive litigation lawyers and a substantial statewide practice taking on bad solar companies, The Moster Law Firm has the resources to pursue the fight. We don’t bluff. When we say we are prepared to litigate or arbitrate, we have the attorneys and determination to follow through.
That willingness gives our demands weight. We negotiate from the strength of the evidence and our readiness to enforce the client’s rights. In this case, that approach helped produce a successful settlement.
Complete Loan Cancellation Plus Five Thousand Dollars
The Houston Litigator in our Houston Office negotiated a settlement requiring the lender to:
- Cancel all remaining principal, interest, and penalties on the client’s solar loan.
- Provide a $5,000 settlement payment to the Firm’s trust account, inclusive of attorney fees and costs.
The agreement eliminates the entire remaining loan obligation and provides an additional monetary payment that includes fees and costs. For a homeowner facing ongoing payments on a system that never worked, that is substantial relief.
Congratulations to our Houston lawyers and staff for securing this result and holding the financing side of the transaction to a meaningful resolution.
Your First Step Costs Nothing
If you were promised lower bills, a government refund, or a working solar system and the promises fell apart, contact The Moster Law Firm for a free, hour-long consultation. Send us your solar contract, financing documents, electric bills, photographs, and communications so we can review the available evidence before the meeting.
We provide actual legal advice about the strengths of your case, the available remedies, and whether pursuing the claim makes practical and financial sense. If the facts support a strong case, we will explain how we would go after the responsible parties.
We are prepared to GO HARD against solar fraud. Visit www.themosterlawfirm.com to schedule your consultation.
Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. Each case depends on its facts, evidence, and applicable law.
Legal and consumer resources: Texas DTPA §§ 17.50 and 17.505 | FTC Holder Rule | IRS solar credit guidance | CFPB solar financing report
*60 days is our goal, not a guarantee. Results depend on the facts of each case.
