Solar financing class action lawsuit overview:
- Who: A California homeowner has filed a class action lawsuit against PG&E, Sungage Financial LLC, NBT Bank N.A. and Sunmade Energy LLC.
- Why: The plaintiff claims the companies engaged in a sophisticated fraud scheme involving solar panel financing.
- Where: The solar financing class action lawsuit was filed in California federal court.
- How to Get Help: California residents who signed a power purchase agreement with Sunrun or Vivint may be eligible to take part in an investigation into allegations of deceptive sales and business practices.
A California homeowner has filed a class action lawsuit against PG&E, Sungage Financial, NBT Bank and Sunmade Energy, alleging they engaged in a scheme to defraud homeowners into taking out loans for solar panels that they could not transfer to new home buyers.
Plaintiff Cameron Beatty claims he was lured into financing solar panels with a 0% interest loan that he was told would be easily transferable to future home buyers. However, he says he later discovered he had been charged more than $20,000 in hidden fees and that the loan was a trap that prevented him from selling his home.
The solar financing class action lawsuit alleges the defendants orchestrated a bait-and-switch operation that exploited federal tax incentives meant to encourage clean energy adoption.
The defendants allegedly promised no finance charges and transferable loans but charged massive fees by inflating the total loan amount far beyond the actual cost of the solar equipment.
Solar financing scheme allegedly left homeowners unable to sell their homes
When homeowners like Beatty tried to sell their homes, they discovered potential buyers would have to qualify for entirely new loans at prohibitive interest rates, making the properties virtually unsellable, the solar class action lawsuit alleges.
Beatty argues the defendants’ scheme trapped families in their homes, saddled them with fraudulent debt and perverted a federal environmental program for corporate enrichment at taxpayers’ expense.
The solar financing class action lawsuit asserts claims for breach of contract, fraudulent inducement and intentional nondisclosure, violation of the Truth in Lending Act, violation of the Rosenthal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act.
The plaintiff demands a jury trial and requests declaratory and injunctive relief and an award of actual, statutory, treble and punitive damages.
In related news, if you’re a Californian resident and signed a power purchase agreement with Sunrun or Vivint, you may be eligible to take part in a class action investigation into allegations of deceptive sales and business practices.
What do you think about the allegations in this solar financing class action lawsuit? Join the discussion in the comments.
The plaintiff is represented by Jason M. Ingber of Ingber Law Group.
The solar financing class action lawsuit is Beatty v. Sungage Financial LLC, et al., Case No. 1:25-at-00443, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California.
Don’t Miss Out!
Check out our list of Class Action Lawsuits and Class Action Settlements you may qualify to join!
Read About More Class Action Lawsuits & Class Action Settlements:
Washington residents: Did you receive a ‘refer a friend’ text for Capital One, Venmo, Tesla, Coinbase, or another company?
September 23, 2025 | Legal News
8 thoughts onPG&E, Sungage and others face class action over alleged solar financing scheme
my elderly uncle was approached by a solar panel company, we live in Oklahoma, and was promised a lower electric bill and he took it. The company sent out installers that placed them on his metal roof, cut a hole into his garage ceiling and promised to return to fix it, they didn’t. Left a hole near his electrical box and never fixed it. The panels were never hooked up and re received a bill from a finance company that he never approved of, a bill for 42k. they have been harassing him and when he contacted the company about, they directed him to the finance company and told him that he needs to take it up with them. So he’s being charged for solar panels that aren’t working and the trash that they left in front yard. I’m just trying to find out if they have it our way with a class action suit.
I also went through sungage and nbt bank for solar. Southern CA
Very misleading.
Add me
As someone who’s been in the solar industry for over a decade—handling everything from sales to installation as both a licensed contractor and developer—I want to add some perspective to this article and the broader conversation.
The allegations in this case are serious, and if true, reflect a failure on multiple fronts. But it’s important to recognize this isn’t just about one company or one loan—it’s about a disconnect between what’s signed and what’s understood.
First, homeowners must take responsibility for reviewing what they’re agreeing to. That means reading the full solar contract and loan agreement—not just the first page—and involving someone more legally or financially experienced if needed. Terms around interest rates, transferability, and total cost are usually in the documents, but they’re often buried and overlooked.
Second, sales reps need to be upfront about all the details, good and bad. Too often, reps emphasize savings and skip over things like what happens if the home is sold, or how much is actually being financed after fees. That’s unacceptable, especially when you’re dealing with someone’s home and long-term finances.
As for the financing itself: I believe this lawsuit is referring to dealer fees—charges the finance company imposes on the contractor to offer zero-interest or low-interest loans. In many cases, these dealer fees are not disclosed to the homeowner. Most solar finance platforms actually require the contractor to price cash and loan deals identically, even though loans carry these backend fees. The justification from lenders is that this is the “platform fee” to access financing, but it can add tens of thousands to the cost of a system.
In our company, we’re moving away from selling loans with dealer fees altogether. I’m seeing two trends now:
• Some loan companies still use high dealer fees but justify it by offering support if the contractor goes out of business.
• Others are moving toward no dealer fee models, where the bank earns solely through interest—more transparent and sustainable in the long run.
The solar industry still holds tremendous value for homeowners. But the only way we protect that value is through clear contracts, honest sales, and informed buyers. We all—contractors, lenders, reps, and customers—have a role to play in getting this right.
– Andrew Breiter-Wu
President, Breiter Planet Construction
Solar Contractor & Developer
Amazon keeps changing my prices every months sometimes 2x a month
I get solar calls at the 4 times a week
Add Mosaic Solar LLC to this lawsuit. I put my house in the market and was told the $50k loan had to be paid off before I could sell it!!! How the heck do they expect people to pay that??
I will definitely be following this since I currently have a solar loan through Sungage / NBT Bank and intend to sell my home in the next few months. I was informed that the loan is transferrable to qualified buyers but never told interest rate would be different.