When a beauty blogger got married at the Petroleum Club in downtown Dallas, she and her husband had a local photographer take pictures of the event. However, after the photographer asked for an additional $150 that was part of the contract, the newlyweds balked at the cost, refused to pay and never got their photos.
Angered by the fee and not getting their pictures, the couple went to the local news media to complain. The Daily Mail soon featured the headline, “Wedding photographer holds couple’s pictures hostage,” and it ruined the wedding photographer’s business. In fact, the woman’s photography business failed and she had to close her doors due to a destroyed reputation.
The thing is, the photographer had actually sent emails to the couple trying to reconcile the problem. The photographer also told the couple about the $150 fee before they agreed to hire her, and the couple even signed contracts that illuminated the fee beforehand.
The photographer decided to sue the couple, and showed emails and other communication that had taken place with the couple. In fact, even as the couple was speaking out negatively about the photographer, the photographer and her employees were attempting to appease the couple. A Dallas jury ultimately sided with the photographer and awarded the photographer $1 million in damages.
The newlyweds were left in a state of shock by the verdict. They may try to challenge the verdict at a later time. However, it’s not clear whether not they would win such a challenge.
If business has been hurt by defamation, after a contract-related argument, you may want to reach out to a Texas business litigation attorney for assistance. An attorney can help you resolve your issue in a legally appropriate fashion.
Source: The Washington Post, “They trashed their wedding photographer over a $125 fee, so a jury told them to pay her $1 million,” Avi Selk, Aug. 03, 2017