Wedding Photographer Ordered to Hand Over Images After Defrauding Couples of $1 Million
A wedding photographer has been ordered to hand over images after allegedly defrauding hundreds of couples out of an estimated $1 million in total in a case that has shaken North Carolina.
In February, North Carolina Attorney General announced that he was suing Holly Christina Photography, alleging it misled and defrauded brides, engaged couples, and their families by failing to provide promised photography and videography services.
The wedding photography business, which was based in Raleigh, North Carolina, has sparked huge outrage from unhappy customers in the state. On Wednesday, North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson held a press conference to provide an update on his lawsuit against Holly Christina Photography.
It was initially believed that the photographer had taken money from around 50 brides without providing a service. However, Jackson revealed that his office has now received 217 complaints against Holly Christina Photography since January, with reported losses totaling approximately $1 million.
According to WECT News 6, Jackson says some customers received only “sneak peek” images but never got full wedding galleries or promised edited videos. Other couples did not receive refunds for future bookings after the business shut down.
“As you can imagine, as a wedding photography company, you really have to screw up to get sued by your state’s attorney general,” Jackson says during the press conference.
He adds: “To this day, there are couples that had their day taken from them by this company that has refused to hand over the photos and the video.”
The North Carolina Attorney General says that at least 150 customers requested refunds of their down payments, but that Holly Christina Photography never provided them.
“This company was taking deposits right up until the point where they shut down, then offered no refunds, didn’t offer any help to any of these couples to try and find a new wedding photographer,” he says.
Now, Jackson says a judge has issued a preliminary injunction in the state’s lawsuit against Holly Christina Photography and is ordering the company to give clients the photos and videos they were promised. He says the injunction requires the photography business to turn over all imagery it has to couples within 30 days. The order also bars the company from operating as a photography business while the lawsuit is pending and freezes its assets while the attorney general’s office inventories them.
Jackson says his office plans to return to court seeking full refunds for victims and a permanent shutdown of the business.
“People feel really strongly about this,” he explains. “The outreach to our office about this has been extraordinary. The only reason we were able to act as quickly as we were is because there was such strong evidence coming in.”
The lawsuit comes after The Better Business Bureau (BBB) issued a recent warning about an increase in wedding photographer scams. The BBB says it has seen a rise in reports of wedding photographers who scam couples, taking couples’ money and disappearing before the big day.
Image credits: Header photo licensed via Depositphotos.
