Hate your wedding photographer because you’re unhappy with the pictures that were supposed to give you a lifetime of memories?
While there’s obviously no do-ever, one couple decided to take their outrage to the next level — they’ve filed a lawsuit.
The newlyweds are suing the owner of a Santa Clarita photography studio they hired for their wedding, claiming she delivered the images months later and in such bad condition that they were unable to order prints.
Scott and Meghan Bence’s Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit alleges breach of contract, negligence, fraud and negligent misrepresentation by Christine Nicole Casillas and Christine Nicole Photography.
Casillas did not immediately reply to a request for comment on the suit filed Tuesday.
The plaintiffs, who live in Santa Clarita, are seeking unspecified damages.
The couple claim Casillas contacted Meghan Bence in November 2015 and offered to shoot their January 2016 wedding. After numerous conversations in which Casillas said she was the best photographer for the job, the Bences agreed to pay her $1,800 to perform the work, according to their court papers.
Casillas promised to provide the Bences with the photos in a password- protected online gallery within six to eight weeks of the wedding, the suit says.
In early March, Casillas texted Meghan Bence that she was nearly done with the photos, the suit states. Over the next two months, Casillas offered various explanations for the delays, including that she had Lupus, that she was drained from juggling her jobs as a photographer and a nanny, and that she was a “one-person outfit” who was “still learning the ropes,” according to the complaint.
In May, Casillas said she was hospitalized, according to the couple. Meghan Bence learned through a Facebook check that Casillas was out of the hospital a few days later, so she texted the defendant and asked for all the photos “no matter what state they were in,” the suit says.
On May 11, almost four months after the wedding, Casillas dropped off a USB drive to the Bences, but the photos “that were included were light, overexposed and of poor quality,” the suit alleges.
Casillas has ignored the Bences’ request for a refund, as well as for the original and raw photos so they could be sent to another photographer for revision, the suit alleges.
—City News Service