Laguna Hills : Fraud by Solar Heating Firm Alleged in Lawsuit

The consumer fraud unit of the Orange County district attorney’s office filed a suit Friday accusing a Laguna Hills solar-heating firm of false advertising and unfair business practices.

The suit names Sunco Solar Services, Joseph Ryan Inc., Marshall Hauge, Steve Walden and several unnamed employees of the firm at 23011 Moulton Parkway.

The defendants were not available for comment.

The suit seeks court orders preventing the firm from making false claims about the financial benefits of switching from natural gas to solar heating. It also seeks fines of $2,500 for each of more than a dozen alleged misrepresentations made to consumers.

For example, the district attorney’s office alleges in the complaint that Sunco claimed incorrectly that gas rates would rise by a factor of four or more within a year or two, and that converting to solar heat would cut home heating costs by 80% to 90%.

The suit also alleges that the firm claims that property appraisers in Orange and San Diego counties will reduce their estimates of a home’s market value by $3,500 if it does not have solar heating.

--Jeffrey A. Perlman