STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — A solar panel company accused in multiple lawsuits of deceptive business practices has extended a settlement offer to one Staten Island homeowner, months after being ordered to reimburse a different plaintiff in a similar case, according to recently obtained documents.
The company, which has gone by ATTYX LLC and Sunco Capitol, noted in those same documents that the offer comes as multiple other solar panel companies across the U.S. have filed for bankruptcy in recent months amid what experts describe as a topsy-turvy industry.
ATTYX was ordered last summer to reimburse a New Springville couple who were claiming false promises and the misrepresentation of costs, public records show.
Through arbitration, it was decided that ATTYX LLC would restore the couple’s roof to its original condition, while footing the bill for $26,500 for their lawyer fees.
The company has denied any wrongdoing in that case in court documents, arguing the homeowners knowingly and willingly signed and then “breached” their agreement.
Judge ordered in‑person appearance
In late September, an attorney for the New Springville couple notified the court that ATTYX had still not fully paid the fines and sanctions.
Staten Island-based lawyer Gary DeFilippo brought a motion to hold ATTYX/Sunco President Grant Young in contempt for allegedly refusing to comply with the court’s orders.
Attorneys for ATTYX argued that the company was having financial difficulties due to the passage of the “One Big Beautiful Bill.”
Judge Ronald Castorina responded, ” I’m going to give you a big beautiful decision.” He went on to rule: “…defendant ATTYX, LLC, formally known as Sunco is adjudged in civil contempt…” according to a court transcript.
Castorina then ordered Young to fly to New York and appear in court in person.
“They wanted to do it by Zoom, and I was asked if I consented,” said DeFilippo. “I said ‘no.’”
In October — while appearing in court per the judge’s orders — the defendants paid the plaintiffs in full.
No longer BBB accredited
The Utah-based company describes itself online as a home improvement services provider offering roofing, solar panels and Central HVAC.
According to a 2024 article published by Utah Business, the company “delivers excellence and sustainability, and is designed to meet the diverse needs of all homeowners and discover personalized solutions for any budget.”
The company’s current standing with the Better Business Bureau, however, suggests otherwise.
As of December, the company was not accredited by the the consumer protection agency, which cited “complaints for ATTYX LLC’s headquarters and corporate-owned locations.”
Lawsuits mounting against solar companies
On Staten Island alone, there are multiple ongoing cases against ATTYX, court records show.
DeFilippo said he has seven ongoing lawsuits across New York City against the company. At least one plaintiff in a lawsuit filed in Brooklyn federal court has accused the company of targeting homeowners based on race, age and income, court documents show.
Litigation, meanwhile, is occurring nationwide as well, said DeFilippo, who said he has consulted with homeowners and attorneys in the Carolinas and as far as Hawaii.
Lawyer urges research
Reputable solar panel companies continue to operate and save homeowners money on their electric bills, according to experts in the field including the SolarReviews website, which tracks customer reviews nationwide.
In offering advice to anyone considering solar panels, DeFilippo said there are two things to research and look out for: the monthly cost to finance the panels versus the average going rate in the state and the country; and whether the number of panels purchased are enough to power the house.
In the case of the Staten Island couple he represented, their court filings alleged they were billed more than $360 per month for the solar panel system, in addition to another several hundred dollars for a Con Edison bill due to the panels’ lack of efficiency.
According to DeFilippo, this should never happen.
“There are people paying an average of $100 per month for solar panel systems through one company, and getting very low Con Edison bills,” said DeFilippo.
S.I. couple recounts alleged dealings with ATTYX in court docs
The plaintiffs in the Staten Island case, Leonard and Rhonda Policastri, claimed that what started as talk of big savings instead resulted in a pile of bills.
Over the course of multiple consultations in 2022, a sales rep for the company, Mitchell Sims, told the couple they qualified for state rebates and incentives, and that the solar panels would essentially “eliminate” their Con Edison bill, their lawsuit alleged.
The salesman, the couple’s court filings allege, stated the panels would produce enough energy to power their entire house and allow them to install a heater in their pool, buy an electric stove and purchase an electric car.
The plaintiffs said those claim were not true.
In March 2023, ATTYX’s contractors put up the panels, which did not generate nearly enough power for the house, the lawsuit argued.
DeFilippo submitted that further research indicated it would take 16 panels to sufficiently power the property and reduce, not eliminate, Con Edison bills.
At the arbitration hearing, Leonard Policastri, 66, a school bus driver, testified that he told Sims that a different company had previously been to his house and determined there wasn’t enough room for the number of panels needed, so they declined to install the system.
But Sims, he said, convinced him, explaining that ATTYX had “the greatest and best panels.”
Two years after the panels were installed and after multiple failed attempts by the company to resolve the stated concerns, the couple had not seen relief in their electric bills as promised, DeFilippo said.
And as the Policastris’ electric bills and loan payment requests were piling up, Sims was still promoting the solar panel system in online videos.
In one video, which has since been taken down, a high-energy Sims referred to himself as “the roof man of New York.”
“Are you sick of that crazy Con Edison electric bill?” enticed Sims. “I’m here to help you.”