Connecticut solar customers whose contracts were signed through forged signatures, or without their full consent, can seek restitution from Sunrun with no cap on the amount, under a settlement announced October 23, 2026 by Attorney General William Tong. Sunrun must investigate each fraud claim and send the customer a response within 60 days. The attorney general’s announcement does not say when that 60-day period begins.

The settlement also covers Elevate Solar Solutions, a door-to-door seller that signed up Sunrun customers, and two people tied to it, Sierra Howes and Dakota Grumet. Sunrun must notify all consumers whose contracts were solicited by Elevate, Howes, Grumet or others associated with them who are believed to have engaged in similar conduct, and it pays the state $300,000.

For a homeowner who thinks a rooftop solar contract was forged, was never fully explained or was never received, the first step is a written claim. The attorney general’s office lists [email protected] as the address for Sunrun claims. The announcement lists no date by which a customer must come forward.

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What can Sunrun owe a customer?

The attorney general’s office says Sunrun “must investigate all claims of fraudulent conduct and provide a consumer response within 60 days.” When a claim of fraud is substantiated, Sunrun must offer one or more forms of relief: cash payments, account credits, contract cancellation or removal of the solar system. The office also says: “There is no cap on the restitution SunRun will be obligated to provide.”

There is a second route for customers who say they never received a copy of their solar contract. If Sunrun cannot prove the customer received one, the customer may cancel. The announcement does not say that a customer must be a victim of forgery or impersonation to use that route.

Disputes go to an independent arbitrator, and Sunrun pays for the arbitrator. A customer does not carry that cost.

When does the 60-day clock start?

The attorney general’s page does not say. It could run from the day a customer sends a claim, from the day Sunrun acknowledges it, or from another date set in the agreement itself. Until the state or Sunrun spells that out, the safest record is the date and time a claim email was sent, with a copy of the message and any reply.

Customers who want the state involved can call the attorney general’s consumer line at 860-808-5318, write to [email protected], or file a complaint at ct.gov/agcomplaints. Complaints about a home improvement seller can also go to the Department of Consumer Protection through its consumer complaint center.

Who else is bound by the settlement?

Elevate must dissolve. Elevate, Howes and Grumet face a $200,000 penalty, of which $100,000 is suspended to make sure they follow the agreement. Grumet, Elevate’s principal and managing member, may not own a company whose business involves home solicitation sales, including home improvement sales, for 10 years. He must stay under the direct supervision of a company and keep records of all unsolicited door-to-door or telephone marketing.

Howes, Elevate’s registered agent, must surrender her Home Improvement Salesperson registrations with the Department of Consumer Protection. For 10 years she may not apply for a new registration or for a Home Improvement Contractor registration.

Sunrun used a company called Bright Planet for marketing and sales. Bright Planet is no longer represented by a lawyer, and the state’s case against it is still pending.

What did the attorney general say about the case?

Tong described the origin of the lawsuit in blunt terms. “We sued SunRun and Elevate following shocking consumer complaints, including forged signatures, impersonations of consumers,” he said, adding that the sellers “locked homeowners into long-term contracts without full, informed consent.” He said the agreement “forces SunRun to make things right for Connecticut customers.”

The defendants did not admit liability as part of the settlement. Sunrun’s agreement is to investigate, respond and make relief available, not a finding that any particular contract was fraudulent.

The state has not said how many customers are affected or how much in restitution Sunrun may end up paying. Tong said his office “will be watching this process closely and will not hesitate to aggressively enforce the terms of this agreement.” For a customer, that leaves the clock and the paper trail as the practical open questions.

Think a Connecticut solar contract was signed without consent?

With no stated start date for Sunrun’s 60-day response, a claim that is sent without a record of the day it went out can be hard to hold anyone to. A customer who emails once and files the message away has little to point to if the answer is late or never comes.

The Settlement & Refund Recovery System includes a step-by-step filing walkthrough and a claim log and payment tracker, with room for the date a claim was sent, the response date and any relief offered. It also carries the four-date rule for reading a settlement notice, which applies to any agreement that lists time limits.

Log the Sunrun fraud claim and its 60-day response in the Settlement & Refund Recovery System →

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This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.