Elderly, disabled man in Butts County wins nearly $100K in solar panel company fraud case
A central Georgia man in his 60s was awarded nearly $100,000 earlier this month after a solar panel company defrauded him, federal court records show.
Clifford Ledford, a quadriplegic man living in Butts County, sued American Solar Tec, a solar panel company, after a salesperson of the company visited his house in 2021 about the benefits of having a solar energy system in his home.
The lawsuit alleges that after letting the salesperson into his house, they went into Ledford’s computer to execute a purchase contract with the solar panel company and USA Energy Savers. The salesperson allegedly also entered Ledford into a loan agreement for nearly $39,000 with Solar Mosaic, a financing company, without his knowledge.
After the solar panels were installed, Ledford’s roof sustained damage that caused him to pay the costs out of pocket.
Ledford settled with the financing company, but American Solar Tec never responded to his lawsuit, which led a judge to declare Ledford successful in his lawsuit. Judge Marc Treadwell ruled March 4 that Ledford was entitled to recover $63,600 in actual damages and $21,200 in punitive damages. He also ruled Ledford could receive a $10,000 award because the company violated the Georgia Unfair or Deceptive Practices Toward the Elderly Act, another $4,717 to recover attorneys’ fees, and $408 to recover costs,
That brought the total judgment to $99,925.
“Mr. Ledford has shown by clear and convincing evidence that American Solar Tec ... demonstrated willful misconduct, malice, fraud, wantonness, oppression, and that entire want of care which would raise the presumption of conscious indifference to consequences,” Treadwell said in his ruling.
The solar power system didn’t work as advertised
The salesperson visited Ledford’s home in Jackson on June 1, 2021, and both spoke at length regarding the benefits of purchasing a solar energy system from American Solar Tec, including “substantial power savings, financial benefits and warranty coverage,” court records show. Ledford was hesitant — considering he’s on a fixed income, his sole source of income being his benefits payments — but he agreed to explore the possibilities of purchasing the system.
The salesperson offered to put together a sales proposal for him and asked for access to his computer. Unbeknownst to Ledford, the representative made the sale while on Ledford’s computer.
Ledford found out a day after, when a representative from Solar Mosaic contacted him regarding the loan agreement. He attempted to cancel both the contract and the loan agreement, but was rejected. The solar energy system ultimately was installed on his roof, court records show.
Due to his quadriplegia, Ledford “was substantially hampered in his abilities to address these issues,” Treadwell wrote in his ruling.
The solar energy system didn’t perform as the salesperson said it would, and the warranties were voided as a result of USA Energy Savers filing for bankruptcy in 2022, court records show. Ledford’s roof leaked near penetrations made to install the solar energy system, and the roof’s condition worsened over time. Ledford had to replace it out of his own pocket.
He took out a loan for roof replacement materials, which he bought from Home Depot for $12,000, court records show. Ledford hired a roofing company for $9,200 to repair the roof, which meant his expenses reached $21,200.
Ledford experienced stress and inconvenience as a result, and his finances were taxed as a result of the solar energy system payments he needed to pay for, plus the payments for the roof replacement. It led him to file a lawsuit with Butts County Superior Court on June 2, 2024, but that was removed to Macon federal court on June 17, 2024, because the suit requested damages over $75,000, court records show.
Even though American Solar Tec was served, the company never filed a response to the lawsuit.
The company also didn’t respond to requests for comment prior to publication. The company’s social media accounts haven’t been active since 2022, and the company’s phone number isn’t in service. The Better Business Bureau indicates the solar panel company is not an accredited business and was given a failing rating due to its failure to respond to three complaints filed against them.
