TL;DR: Freedom Forever is being liquidated, not reorganized. Its bankruptcy case (No. 26-10522, District of Delaware) converted from Chapter 11 to Chapter 7 on August 7, 2026, and trustee Alfred T. Giuliano is now selling assets and paying creditors. The October 16, 2026 claim deadline has passed. California homeowners keep their panels, manufacturer warranties, NEM agreement and loan or lease, but lose the workmanship warranty and service team.
Key takeaways
- Freedom Forever filed Chapter 11 on April 15, 2026 and converted to Chapter 7 liquidation 114 days later, on August 7, 2026.
- The company will not reopen. No buyer or sponsor emerged.
- Panel, inverter and battery warranties are backed by the manufacturers and survive. The installer’s workmanship warranty does not.
- Seven financing partners were allowed to hire contractors to finish stranded installs through permission to operate (PTO).
- Keep paying your loan, lease or PPA. Those contracts are with the finance company, not Freedom Forever.
Most Freedom Forever systems in California are still producing power this morning. What disappeared is the company behind them: the phone line, the service trucks and the workmanship warranty. Many homeowners only notice when a monitoring app goes dark. Here is where the case stands as of November 4, 2026, and what to do next.
What happened to Freedom Forever?
Freedom Forever, one of the largest residential solar installers in the US, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on April 15, 2026 and was converted to Chapter 7 liquidation on August 7, 2026. Bloomberg reported assets of $100 million to $500 million against liabilities of $500 million to $1 billion at filing.
The company tried to sell itself. According to filings summarized by case trackers, roughly 90 potential buyers were approached and 19 signed nondisclosure agreements. The only offer came from an entity tied to the CEO, and the creditors’ committee opposed it. Law360 reported the sale was cancelled after that offer failed. With no qualified bid and no money left to run a Chapter 11, the court converted the case. About 1,600 workers were laid off around the filing.
Freedom Forever bankruptcy timeline (April to November 2026)
The case moved from filing to liquidation in 114 days, and the Chapter 7 trustee has been winding down the estate since August 7, 2026. Here is every date that matters to a homeowner.
Freedom Forever bankruptcy timeline, 2026
| Date | Event | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Apr 15, 2026 | Freedom Forever LLC files Chapter 11, Case No. 26-10522, District of Delaware | Court docket; Bloomberg |
| May 2, 2026 | Two affiliates file; cases jointly administered | Court docket |
| Jul 22, 2026 | Court approves bidding procedures | Court docket |
| Jul 28 to 31, 2026 | Auction yields no deal; sale hearing cancelled | Kroll case site; Law360 |
| Aug 7, 2026 | Case converts to Chapter 7; Alfred T. Giuliano appointed trustee | Kroll case site |
| Aug 21, 2026 | Trustee moves to reject real property leases and abandon certain property | Court docket |
| Sep 22, 2026 | First Chapter 7 meeting of creditors (341 meeting) | Chapter 7 notice (Dkt. 568) |
| Oct 14, 2026 | Court posts notice of continued 341 meeting | U.S. Bankruptcy Court, D. Del. |
| Oct 16, 2026 | Proof of claim deadline for customers, vendors and former employees | Chapter 7 notice (Dkt. 568) |
| Nov 10, 2026 | Relief from stay hearing scheduled | Court docket; pv magazine USA |
| Nov 17, 2026 | Continued 341 meeting, as listed by case trackers | Bankruptcy Observer |
| Dec 4, 2026 | Deadline for WARN Act class certification motion | Adv. No. 26-50237 docket |
| Feb 3, 2027 | Deadline for government agency claims | Chapter 7 notice (Dkt. 568) |
Source: Kroll Restructuring Administration case site and the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware notice of continued meeting, as of November 4, 2026.
What is new since mid-September: the court posted a notice on October 14 that the creditors’ meeting was continued, and filings are still coming in (the docket passed entry 700 this week). As of November 4, we have seen no reported sale of Freedom Forever’s customer contracts or service business, and no trustee program for warranty claims. We will update this page if either changes.
Is Freedom Forever still in business?
No. Freedom Forever stopped operating as an installer and has been in Chapter 7 liquidation since August 7, 2026. Its main California contractor license, #1029644, shows as suspended on the CSLB license lookup.
In a Chapter 7, the trustee’s job is to collect and sell what the company owns and pay creditors in the order bankruptcy law sets. The trustee’s filings indicate general unsecured creditors are not expected to receive a payout. There is no plan to restructure and reopen. If someone calls claiming to be “the new Freedom Forever” or a “warranty department,” ask for their CSLB license number and check it before you share account details or pay anything.
What happens to my Freedom Forever warranty?
Your equipment warranties survive because the manufacturers back them, but Freedom Forever’s workmanship and roof penetration warranty is effectively gone. That split matters more than anything else in this article.
Freedom Forever warranty status after Chapter 7
| Coverage | Who backs it | Status now |
|---|---|---|
| Panel warranty (often 25 years) | Panel manufacturer | Survives; a licensed installer files the claim |
| Inverter or microinverter (Enphase, SolarEdge, Tesla) | Inverter manufacturer | Survives; installer-filed claims accepted |
| Battery (Tesla Powerwall, Enphase, Franklin) | Battery manufacturer | Survives |
| Workmanship and roof penetrations | Freedom Forever | Lost; claims were due Oct 16, 2026 |
| Monitoring account | Manufacturer platform, installer access | Often broken; can be re-registered |
| Production guarantee in a lease or PPA | Finance company, if written into its contract | Check your contract |
Source: manufacturer warranty terms and the Chapter 7 claims process on the Kroll case site. NRG has not verified how the trustee will treat individual warranty claims.
Two practical points. First, most manufacturers expect a licensed installer to diagnose the fault and file the paperwork, so you need a new installer on record. Second, nobody knows yet what filed workmanship claims will recover; unsecured claims in a liquidation often recover little or nothing. For questions about a claim you filed, contact the trustee’s office through the case site and your finance company. Do not rely on anyone, including us, who promises an outcome.
What if my Freedom Forever install was never finished?
Call your finance company, not Freedom Forever. The court lifted the automatic stay so 7 financing partners could hire contractors and bring stranded systems to PTO: Credit Human, EnFin, EverBright, GoodLeap, Participate, Project Solar and Sunrun. pv magazine USA reported that GoodLeap was also allowed to take physical possession of equipment to finish jobs.
Steps that protect you:
- Find out who owns your loan, lease or PPA. It is the company sending your bill.
- Ask them in writing who is completing the job and on what schedule.
- Check the new contractor’s CSLB license before anyone gets on your roof.
- Do not pay a second contractor for work your financier is already covering.
If your interconnection application was submitted on or after April 15, 2023, your system falls under the CPUC’s Net Billing Tariff (NEM 3.0), so check that the original sales proposal did not assume older, higher export credits. One more hard fact: the federal 25D homeowner credit ended for systems completed after December 31, 2025, per the IRS Residential Clean Energy Credit page. If your install was finished in 2026, talk to a tax professional before counting on a credit. Our solar tax credit guide covers the 2026 rules.
Do I still have to pay my solar loan or lease?
Yes. Your loan, lease or PPA is a contract with the finance company, and the bankruptcy does not cancel it. Missed payments can hurt your credit or trigger default terms.
Your net metering agreement with PG&E, SCE or SDG&E is also separate from Freedom Forever and stays in force. Keep your PTO letter. If you are being billed for a system that was never finished or never turned on, raise it with the financier in writing, keep copies, and consider a consumer or bankruptcy attorney. We are installers, not lawyers.
Freedom Forever lawsuits: what is pending?
Two WARN Act class actions by former employees are the main open lawsuits: Quinones et al. v. Freedom Forever LLC (Adv. No. 26-50237) and Kelley v. Freedom Forever LLC (Adv. No. 26-50238), both in Delaware bankruptcy court. They allege about 1,600 workers were laid off without the 60 days’ notice the federal WARN Act requires.
The Quinones plaintiffs face a December 4, 2026 deadline to move for class certification and have argued their claims should be paid as administrative expenses, ahead of ordinary wage claims. The court has not ruled on that. Separately, the Texas Attorney General issued a civil investigative demand over sales practices before the filing, and Maine’s Attorney General told WGME in August that it had received 72 complaints about the company since 2023.
For homeowners, these cases change little. Suits against Freedom Forever are generally frozen by the bankruptcy, so customer disputes run through the claims process, and loan or lease disputes run against the finance company.
Who services a Freedom Forever system in California now?
Any California contractor with an active C-46 (solar) or C-10 (electrical) license can service a Freedom Forever system. Verify the license on the CSLB site and ask up front whether the contractor will file manufacturer warranty claims for you.
When we take over an orphaned system, the visit usually includes a full inspection, a production check against the original design, a look at every roof penetration, reconnecting monitoring and filing any warranty claims. If your system has a battery, our battery service and installation team can confirm the Powerwall or Enphase unit is registered and backing up the right circuits.
What to do now if Freedom Forever installed your system
Start with documents and monitoring. Most problems we find on orphaned systems are small and cheap to fix if they are caught early.
- Gather your contract, finance agreement, system design and PTO letter.
- Open your monitoring app (Enphase Enlighten, SolarEdge, Tesla). If it is dark, get it back online through system monitoring.
- Write down panel, inverter and battery brands and serial numbers.
- Keep paying your loan, lease or PPA.
- If the install is unfinished, ask your financier who is completing it.
- Check any new contractor’s CSLB license.
- If you missed the October 16 deadline, check the Kroll claims site and consider a bankruptcy attorney about a late claim.
For a broader playbook, see our guide on what to do when your solar company goes out of business. If you need a new long-term installer, our breakdown of how to choose a California solar installer lists what to check.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Freedom Forever converted to Chapter 7 liquidation on August 7, 2026, and is no longer installing or servicing systems. Its main California license is suspended.
Alfred T. Giuliano was appointed Chapter 7 trustee on August 7, 2026. He oversees the sale of assets and payments to creditors in Case No. 26-10522 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware.
The general proof of claim deadline was October 16, 2026, and it has passed. Late claims are sometimes allowed in narrow situations, so talk to a bankruptcy attorney and check the Kroll case site.
Yes. A bankruptcy does not switch off your system. Panels, inverters and batteries keep running, and manufacturer warranties stay in place. You only lose Freedom Forever’s own service and workmanship warranty.
Any California contractor with an active C-46 or C-10 license. NRG takes over Freedom Forever systems across California through our solar repair and system check service.
No one. No buyer bought the company. Seven financing partners were allowed to hire contractors to finish stranded installs, and the trustee is liquidating the rest.
Need a second set of eyes on your Freedom Forever system?
If your system was installed by Freedom Forever, we will inspect it, check production, reconnect monitoring and file manufacturer warranty claims where they apply, anywhere in our California service area. Book a free system check through our solar repair page, or get a second opinion quote in 2 minutes if you are thinking about adding a battery.