{"id":87262,"date":"2026-01-02T12:30:06","date_gmt":"2026-01-02T12:30:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/87262\/"},"modified":"2026-01-02T12:30:06","modified_gmt":"2026-01-02T12:30:06","slug":"staten-island-lawyer-leads-fight-against-solar-company-in-consumer-lawsuits-nationwide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/87262\/","title":{"rendered":"Staten Island lawyer leads fight against solar company in consumer lawsuits nationwide"},"content":{"rendered":"

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. \u2014 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, <\/a>according to recently obtained documents. <\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

ATTYX was ordered last summer to reimburse a New Springville couple<\/a> who were claiming false promises and the misrepresentation of costs, public records show. <\/p>\n

Through arbitration, it was decided that ATTYX LLC would restore the couple\u2019s roof to its original condition, while footing the bill for $26,500 for their lawyer fees.<\/p>\n

The company has denied any wrongdoing in that case in court documents, arguing the homeowners knowingly and willingly signed and then \u201cbreached\u201d their agreement. <\/p>\n

Judge ordered in\u2011person appearance<\/p>\n

In late September, an attorney for the New Springville couple notified the court that ATTYX had still not fully paid the fines and sanctions. <\/p>\n

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\u2019s orders.<\/p>\n

Attorneys for ATTYX argued that the company was having financial difficulties due to the passage of the \u201cOne Big Beautiful Bill.\u201d <\/p>\n

Judge Ronald Castorina responded, ” I\u2019m going to give you a big beautiful decision.” He went on to rule: \u201c…defendant ATTYX, LLC, formally known as Sunco is adjudged in civil contempt…\u201d according to a court transcript. <\/p>\n

Castorina then ordered Young to fly to New York and appear in court in person. <\/p>\n

\u201cThey wanted to do it by Zoom, and I was asked if I consented,\u201d said DeFilippo. \u201cI said \u2018no.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

In October \u2014 while appearing in court per the judge\u2019s orders \u2014 the defendants paid the plaintiffs in full. <\/p>\n

No longer BBB accredited<\/p>\n

The Utah-based company describes itself online<\/a> as a home improvement services provider offering roofing, solar panels and Central HVAC. <\/p>\n

According to a 2024 article published by Utah Business<\/a>, the company \u201cdelivers excellence and sustainability, and is designed to meet the diverse needs of all homeowners and discover personalized solutions for any budget.\u201d<\/p>\n

The company\u2019s current standing with the Better Business Bureau, however, suggests otherwise. <\/p>\n

As of December, the company was not accredited by the the consumer protection agency,<\/a> which cited \u201ccomplaints for ATTYX LLC\u2019s headquarters and corporate-owned locations.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lawsuits mounting against solar companies<\/p>\n

On Staten Island alone, there are multiple ongoing cases against ATTYX, court records show. <\/p>\n

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<\/a>, court documents show. <\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Lawyer urges research<\/p>\n

Reputable solar panel companies continue to operate and save homeowners money on their electric bills, according to experts in the field including the SolarReviews<\/a> website, which tracks customer reviews nationwide.<\/p>\n

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. <\/p>\n

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\u2019 lack of efficiency. <\/p>\n

According to DeFilippo, this should never happen. <\/p>\n

\u201cThere are people paying an average of $100 per month for solar panel systems through one company, and getting very low Con Edison bills,\u201d said DeFilippo. <\/p>\n

S.I. couple recounts alleged dealings with ATTYX in court docs<\/p>\n

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.<\/a><\/p>\n

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 \u201celiminate\u201d their Con Edison bill, their lawsuit alleged.<\/p>\n

The salesman, the couple\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

The plaintiffs said those claim were not true.<\/p>\n

In March 2023, ATTYX\u2019s contractors put up the panels, which did not generate nearly enough power for the house, the lawsuit argued.<\/p>\n

DeFilippo submitted that further research indicated it would take 16 panels to sufficiently power the property and reduce, not eliminate, Con Edison bills.<\/p>\n

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\u2019t enough room for the number of panels needed, so they declined to install the system.<\/p>\n

But Sims, he said, convinced him, explaining that ATTYX had \u201cthe greatest and best panels.\u201d <\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

And as the Policastris\u2019 electric bills and loan payment requests were piling up, Sims was still promoting the solar panel system in online videos.<\/p>\n

In one video, which has since been taken down, a high-energy Sims referred to himself as \u201cthe roof man of New York.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you sick of that crazy Con Edison electric bill?\u201d enticed Sims. \u201cI\u2019m here to help you.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. \u2014 A solar panel company accused in multiple lawsuits of deceptive business practices has extended…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":87263,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[9,24,63,134,136,135],"class_list":{"0":"post-87262","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-staten-island","8":"tag-new-york","9":"tag-new-york-city","10":"tag-nyc","11":"tag-staten-island","12":"tag-staten-island-headlines","13":"tag-staten-island-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87262","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=87262"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87262\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/87263"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=87262"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=87262"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=87262"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}