By If your phone rang with an unsolicited pitch about solar panels — and you never asked for it — you may already know the name Momentum Solar. What you might not know is that those calls became the foundation of one of the largest solar industry lawsuits in U.S. history. The momentum solar lawsuit resulted in a $30 million class action settlement covering a decade of alleged telemarketing violations, with the final court approval hearing scheduled for August 18, 2025.
This isn’t just a story about one solar company. It’s a story about consumer privacy, federal law, and what happens when a fast-growing business treats unsolicited calls as a legitimate sales strategy. The momentum solar lawsuit is a landmark moment for the solar industry — and a practical reminder to every American that the right not to be harassed by telemarketers is a legally enforceable protection, not just a preference.
This article breaks down exactly what happened, what the law says, how the settlement works, and what consumers — whether they received those calls or are simply evaluating solar companies — need to know right now.
Who Is Momentum Solar?
Momentum Solar — operating legally as Pro Custom Solar LLC — was founded in New Jersey in 2009 and grew into one of the largest independent residential solar energy providers in the United States. At its peak, the company operated across multiple states, employing thousands of sales representatives and installation crews. Its business model depended heavily on telephone-based outreach to generate leads and close deals.
That aggressive telemarketing model worked, for a time. But it also generated a trail of consumer complaints that eventually coalesced into federal class action litigation — the momentum solar lawsuit that would cost the company up to $30 million to resolve.
What Is the Momentum Solar Lawsuit About?
The Core TCPA Allegations
The momentum solar lawsuit centers on alleged violations of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act — better known as the TCPA. Enacted by Congress in 1991 and enforced by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the TCPA is the primary federal law governing telemarketing conduct in the United States. It prohibits:
- Making automated or pre-recorded calls to cell phones without prior express written consent
- Contacting numbers registered on the National Do Not Call Registry
- Using automatic telephone dialing systems (robodialers) without recipient consent
- Making repeated unsolicited calls intended to harass or annoy
The TCPA gives individual consumers the right to sue for each violation — with statutory damages of $500 per negligent violation and up to $1,500 per willful violation. When a company makes thousands or millions of such calls, the aggregate liability can be enormous. That is precisely the exposure that drove Momentum Solar to a $30 million settlement.
The Specific Cases That Drove the Settlement
Two federal lawsuits formed the backbone of the momentum solar lawsuit proceedings:
- Becker v. Pro Custom Solar LLC — Filed in federal court, this case alleged that Momentum Solar made unsolicited automated calls to consumers who had not consented to be contacted. A motion to dismiss was denied by the court, allowing the case to proceed — a significant early legal development that signaled the strength of the plaintiffs’ position.
- Callier v. Momentum Solar LLC — Filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, this case pursued parallel TCPA claims, alleging that Momentum Solar or its third-party agents contacted consumers without consent using automatic dialing systems.
Both cases alleged the same fundamental misconduct: Momentum Solar used automated or third-party calling systems to reach potential customers without their permission, including people whose numbers were listed on the Do Not Call Registry.
Additional Allegations Beyond the Robocall Claims
The momentum solar lawsuit landscape extends beyond just TCPA violations. Additional legal threads have emerged over time, including:
- Worker misclassification claims — Former employees and contractors alleged that Momentum Solar improperly classified workers as independent contractors rather than employees, denying them access to benefits, overtime protections, and worker compensation coverage they would otherwise have been entitled to under federal and state employment law.
- Sales misrepresentation allegations — Some homeowners reported that Momentum Solar sales representatives overstated projected energy savings — promising bill reductions of 50% or more that later proved significantly lower in practice. These claims touch on consumer protection and fraud statutes at both the state and federal level.
- Breach of contract disputes — Subcontractors and business partners filed additional claims alleging that Momentum Solar failed to honor contractual payment obligations for services rendered.
How the $30 Million Settlement Works
Settlement Structure and Timeline
The deal with Pro Custom Solar LLC, which does business as Momentum Solar, was preliminarily approved by the court on January 2, 2025. The settlement fund is structured at up to $30 million, with payments distributed over 15 years. The company will distribute an original payment of $1 million within 90 days after final approval, followed by additional payments according to a set schedule until the full amount is reached.
This phased structure is worth understanding clearly. The $30 million figure represents the maximum fund — not a guaranteed immediate payout. Class members receive pro-rated shares based on the number of qualifying calls they received, and those payments are distributed as the settlement fund accumulates over time.
Who Qualifies for the Settlement
The settlement benefits individuals who received two or more telemarketing calls from or on behalf of Momentum Solar within a 365-day period from March 5, 2015, to January 2, 2025. Current and former customers of Momentum Solar are not eligible for the settlement.
The eligibility criteria are important. If you were already a Momentum Solar customer, you are excluded from this particular settlement — it is designed specifically to compensate non-customers who received unsolicited contact. Class members can file claims for up to 50 calls received during the class period, with payouts calculated on a per-call basis.
Attorney Fees and Net Recovery
The settlement’s provisions include attorneys’ fees up to one-third of the total fund, which could range from approximately $6.67 million to $10 million. After legal fees and administrative costs, the net recovery available to class members will be lower than the headline $30 million figure — a standard feature of class action settlements that consumers should factor into their expectations.
The TCPA: Why This Law Has Real Teeth
The momentum solar lawsuit is a powerful example of why the TCPA matters — and why businesses that ignore it do so at enormous financial risk.
What the TCPA Actually Protects
The TCPA was enacted because Congress recognized that unsolicited telemarketing isn’t just an inconvenience — it’s an invasion of personal privacy with real costs to the recipient. Every robocall interrupts your day, uses your phone’s battery, and potentially exposes you to fraud. For people with limited cell phone plans, unwanted calls can have direct financial costs.
The statute was designed to give individual consumers both a private right of action and meaningful per-call damages — specifically so that class actions like the momentum solar lawsuit could aggregate individual harms into claims large enough to hold corporate defendants accountable.
Consent Is the Critical Legal Line
Under the TCPA, the central question in almost every case is consent. Did the person being called expressly agree — in writing, before the call was made — to receive automated or pre-recorded marketing calls? If not, every call is a potential statutory violation.
The momentum solar lawsuit alleged that the company either failed to obtain proper consent or relied on third-party lead generators whose consent practices were deficient. When companies outsource their calling to third-party vendors, TCPA liability doesn’t disappear — it transfers. Courts have consistently held that businesses are responsible for the telemarketing conduct of agents acting on their behalf.
The Do Not Call Registry: A Separate Layer of Protection
The National Do Not Call Registry, maintained by the FTC, gives consumers the right to opt out of most commercial telemarketing calls. Individuals whose numbers were registered on the Do Not Call Registry yet were still contacted by Momentum Solar are among those likely eligible for the settlement. Contacting a registered number is a separate TCPA violation, independent of the automated calling issue.
What the Momentum Solar Lawsuit Means for the Solar Industry
A Pattern of Aggressive Sales Tactics
The momentum solar lawsuit is not an isolated incident. It reflects a broader pattern across the solar industry where rapid growth has sometimes outpaced regulatory compliance. As residential solar became one of the fastest-growing consumer markets in America, companies competed fiercely for leads — and telemarketing remained one of the cheapest, highest-volume lead generation strategies available.
The result has been a wave of TCPA litigation targeting solar companies specifically. Sunrun, SunPower, and other major providers have faced similar consumer protection challenges. The Momentum Solar case, given its scale and the size of the settlement, sends a clear message: TCPA compliance is not optional, and the cost of cutting corners is measured in tens of millions of dollars.
What Solar Companies Must Do Differently
The momentum solar lawsuit outcome has practical compliance implications for every solar company that relies on outbound calling:
- Written consent must be obtained before any automated call is made — and that consent must be specific, voluntary, and documented
- Third-party lead generators must be vetted for TCPA compliance and contractually held to the same standards the company applies internally
- Do Not Call Registry scrubbing must occur before every calling campaign
- Call records must be maintained in sufficient detail to defend against future litigation
Companies that build these practices into their operations from the outset avoid the liability exposure that cost Momentum Solar thirty million dollars.
What Consumers Should Do Now
Whether you received unwanted calls from Momentum Solar or are simply trying to protect yourself from aggressive solar telemarketing in the future, here are practical, actionable steps:
- If you received qualifying calls from Momentum Solar: The claim filing deadline was July 31, 2025. If you missed that window, the settlement class for this specific proceeding is closed. However, you can monitor ClassAction.org and TopClassActions.com for future filings and ensure you’re registered to receive notices about any related cases.
- To protect yourself from future TCPA violations by any company: Register your number at donotcall.gov. Document any unwanted calls you receive — date, time, caller ID, and the content of the call. This documentation is the foundation of any TCPA claim you might eventually bring.
- If you’re currently receiving unsolicited solar calls: You can file a complaint with the FTC at ftc.gov/complaint and with the FCC at consumercomplaints.fcc.gov. Both agencies track complaint volume as an enforcement signal. You may also have the right to bring an individual TCPA claim if you have documented calls — consult a consumer protection attorney to assess your options.
- If you’re evaluating solar companies: Use the momentum solar lawsuit as a due diligence benchmark. Before signing any solar contract, check the company’s TCPA litigation history, BBB rating, and state licensing status. A company’s compliance culture — how it handles marketing and customer communications — is often a reliable indicator of how it handles installation, warranties, and post-purchase service as well.
Key Takeaways
- The momentum solar lawsuit resulted in a $30 million class action settlement covering unsolicited telemarketing calls made between March 5, 2015, and January 2, 2025.
- The lawsuits alleged violations of the TCPA — the primary federal law governing automated calls, robodialers, and Do Not Call Registry protections.
- Two key cases drove the settlement: Becker v. Pro Custom Solar LLC and Callier v. Momentum Solar LLC, both filed in federal court.
- Eligible class members are non-customers who received two or more qualifying calls within any 365-day window during the class period.
- The settlement is structured as a phased $30 million fund paid over 15 years, with an initial $1 million payment within 90 days of final court approval.
- The TCPA provides statutory damages of $500–$1,500 per violation — making it one of the most powerful consumer protection tools in federal law.
- Consent is the defining legal standard: without prior express written consent, every automated marketing call is a potential TCPA violation.
- The broader momentum solar lawsuit landscape includes additional allegations of worker misclassification, sales misrepresentation, and contract disputes — reflecting systemic compliance issues beyond telemarketing alone.
- For consumers, this case is a practical reminder that unsolicited calls are not just annoying — they are legally actionable, and class actions are a powerful mechanism for enforcement.