Sunrun, a leading national solar installation company, offers homeowners solar contracts with monthly payments for panel installations. As the largest solar provider in the U.S., Sunrun relies on smaller, local companies for marketing, sales, and contract negotiations. This extensive network of subcontractors can lead to oversight issues, resulting in legal problems and lawsuits. Recently, the Attorney General of Connecticut sued Sunrun under the state’s Unfair Trade Practices Act, alleging fraudulent conduct by some of its contractors.

The Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act, or CUTPA for short, is a broad statute modeled after the Federal Trade Commission Act. Massachusetts has a similar statute, Chapter 93A.

Very simply, the statute says that “No person shall engage in unfair methods of competition and unfair or deceptive acts or practices in the conduct of any trade or commerce.”

Because the statute is so broad, CUTPA allegations have become commonplace in complaints against businesses.

CUTPA allows anyone who has suffered an ascertainable loss of money or property as a result of a prohibited deceptive act or practice to sue to recover actual damages. The court may, in its discretion, award punitive damages and may provide the equitable relief that it deems necessary or proper.

In a sample of 45 Connecticut cases, the Office of Legislative Research found that only 21 outcomes resulted in punitive damages being awarded and attorneys fees.

Keep this in mind if you ever think about suing a business for unfair trade practices. Attorneys generally want to be guaranteed some sort of compensation and the prospect of collecting attorneys fees sweetens the pot if the case isn’t worth much.

Luckily, Sunrun is a licensed Home Improvement Contractor, and they are a major company. This means that if they ever wrong you, suing them wouldn’t be as difficult as suing local contractors who often dissolve their businesses in the face of a lawsuit. And, you can tap into the Home Guaranty Fund. Read more about suing contractors here.

The Problem With Solar Companies

Like many solar companies in the state, Sunrun has faced significant challenges with oversight, particularly in managing their local contractors. This lack of proper supervision is a widespread issue among major solar operators, leading to repeated concerns.

Many solar companies don’t even complete the work they promise to do. The state, recognizing this systemic problem, has previously targeted solar companies in an effort to uphold consumer protection. This latest lawsuit marks the third in a series of actions aimed at ensuring fairness and accountability in the industry.

Some solar companies have been banned from the state amid these problems including Solar Wolf, a company that is currently blocked from doing business in Connecticut as a result of a court order and has since filed for bankruptcy.

I have had many clients come to me with complaints about Sunrun. I even won a settlement for one client who Sunrun destroyed his roof and violated his contract.

Beyond the blatant disregard for their customers, Sunrun is also just annoying. They pester prospective customers by repeatedly showing up at their doors and delivering high pressure sales pitches.

These recent business graduates, enticed by the allure of high commissions, have all the greasiness of door-to-door Mormons but with the dangerous confidence of people who are actually getting laid.

What Did Sunrun Do Wrong?

The complaint alleges exceptionally egregious conduct by a few of Sunrun’s contractors.

In Sunrun’s defense, they likely didn’t know about the fraudulent conduct going on with their contractors. But still, even if we acknowledge the challenges a massive national company faces in managing extensive oversight, the subpar quality of their operations suggests that they prioritize profits over consumer satisfaction.

In Windsor, Wethersfield, and Stafford Springs, Sunrun contractors blatantly defrauded customers by forging signatures, lying about pricing, and installing panels without permits.

And they weren’t just low level employees, they were principal and managing members of these businesses that Sunrun contracted with.

Below are the three allegations in detail:

Windsor – Sunrun Contractors Forge Signature And Impersonate Woman

Sunrun contracted with Dakota Grumet and Sierra Howes of Elevate Solar Solutions LLC, and Bright Planet, to sell Sunrun products through doo-to-door solicitation.

Typically, selling products like those offered by Sunrun requires a home improvement salesperson license. Neither Grument or Howes had one.

In August, 2023, Howes conducted a door-to-door sales pitch at said consumer’s home, holding himself out as an employee of Bright Planet and offering a 25-year Sunrun lease contract for a monthly payment of $306.98. The consumer rejected.

A month later, Grumet contacted the consumer’s father to ask if he was interested in a Sunrun lease contract on the same terms the consumer had already rejected. The father rejected too.

Notwithstanding the consumer’s and her father’s express rejections of the Sunrun lease contract with a $306.98 monthly payment, the company falsely applied an electronic signature bearing the consumer’s name to a 25 year solar panel lease, ostensibly making the consumer a party to a contract she never read, signed, or assented to.

Further, at least one employee of Bright Planet impersonated said consumer by attempting to imitate her voice on a recorded confirmation phone call with a Sunrun representative when opening the lease account.

On the recorded call, the Sunrun representative is heard asking the salesperson to identify themself. The response heard is “Sierra Ford.”

Though the consumer was female, the voice purporting to be the consumer’s on the recorded call was a deep male voice. The voice purports to confirm the consumer’s name, but erroneously reverses the first and last names, as was done on the contract.

Neither Sunrun nor Bright Planet provided the consumer a copy of a home improvement contract at the time it was supposedly executed.

Only after the installation did the consumer receive a copy of the fraudulent lease contract.

Despite demand, Sunrun has refused to remove the solar panels and restore the consumer’s roof to its previous condition. Despite demand, Sunrun has refused to terminate the lease.

Stafford Springs – Sunrun Contractors Forge Another Signature And Lie About Pricing

In November, 2022 Grumet and Howes falsely applied an electronic signature bearing another consumer’s name to a 25-year solar panel lease with Sunrun.

On a Zoom call with the consumer, Howes and Grumet did not explain that the consumer’s monthly lease payment would increase by 2.9% annually, totaling $135,693 in payments over the course of the 25-year lease contract. The consumer orally accepted this offer during the Zoom call.

Neither Sunrun nor Bright Planet provided the consumer a copy of a home improvement contract at the time it was supposedly executed, in violation of the Home Improvement Act including General Statutes.

In or around December 2022, Sunrun Installation, or Bright Planet on its behalf, installed the solar panels on the consumer’s house. To date, the solar panels have not been activated.

In 2023, the consumer requested a copy of her contract. Upon reviewing the contract, the consumer learned for the first time that the contract was with Sunrun, not Bright Planet, and that there was an e-signature of her name on the contract despite her never signing or reviewing the contract, prior thereto.

Despite demand, Sunrun has refused to remove the solar panels and restore the consumer’s roof to its previous condition, or to terminate the lease.

Wethersfield – Sunrun Contractos Fail To Complete Job Or Provide Contract

In 2022, Kevin Savage, representing himself to be a Bright Planet employee, conducted an in-person sales pitch to a consumer for a 25year Sunrun solar panel lease contract with a monthly payment of $106.18 for the duration of the contract.

On or about October 5, 2022, the consumer agreed to the 25-year Sunrun lease contract. The consumer signed the contract electronically. The consumer did not receive physical copies of the contract.

To date, the consumer has not received a copy of the contract.

To date, the solar panels have not been activated.

Read the full complaint here

The Perpetrators

You can’t find much of a paper trail to the perpetrators on the internet without doing some digging.

This is because their names are listed differently throughout social media and on business records

For example, the principal of Elevate Solar is listed in the complaint as “Dakota Grumet”

But the business email listed is “dakotabryceford@gmail.com”

But on other business records, Dakota lists his name as “Dakota Bryce Grumet”

So is he Dakota Grumet or Dakota Ford? He may have taken the last name of his mother, Grumet, but his father is David Ford.

if you look at the agent for service listed you’ll see David Ford with an address of residence for David Ford is 34 Valley View Drive, Avon CT.

A quick property card search shows that the house is owned by “David M. Ford” as trustee, meaning the house is in a trust.

What’s even more interesting is that another house, across the street, is also owned by “David M. Ford” as trustee for a family trust.

Which house?

Fotus Dulo’s mansion that was purchased by a high profile lawyer, David Ford, 10 years ago ago for over $3 million dollars.

Djislessthan a famous TikToker, and purported brother of Dakota “Grumet” or Ford, filmed a viral video of him talking about what it was like living in the Fotus Dulos house.

The name “Ford” comes up a lot. For example, in the complaint it’s alleged that one perpetrator revealed herself as “Sierra Ford” when impersonating a consumer, even though her name is listed as “Sierra Howes” on the business registry and linkedin, from Canton CT… where the business address is listed.

But a search of “Sierra Ford” on Facebook reveals a profile picture of the same woman but with the name “Ford”

And if you click her pictures you see one of her and a man amorously situated, and replying to eachother in the comments. A “Dakota Ford”

Mrs. Ford’s Tiktok reveals an image of her “starting a business era” with an amount of, presumably money, logged into a calculator. This video was created around the same time Elevate Solar was incorporated.

Her TikTok flaunts expensive cars, fancy outings, “house hunting” for mansions, and presents her as a trophy wife.

Though it’s not alleged in the complaint, I believe Dakota Grumet, who likely used his mother’s last name of Tammy Grumet, probably is married to Sierra Howes, hence the Sierra Ford last name.