Attorney general seeks $1.7 million-plus judgment in photography case
The state says Holly Christina Photography and its owners failed to comply fully with a court order requiring delivery of customers’ wedding photographs and videos.
RALEIGH — North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson has asked a judge to enter a default judgment against Holly Christina Photography and its owners, alleging they failed to comply fully with a court order requiring them to deliver customers’ photographs and videos.
The requested judgment includes nearly $600,000 in consumer restitution and more than $1.1 million in civil penalties, according to the N.C. Department of Justice. The department is also seeking permanent injunctive relief and an order compelling delivery of the missing materials.
The amounts are requested remedies and have not yet been awarded by the court.
Jackson sued the company and owners Holly Christina Scott Ayscue and Christopher Owen Ayscue in February. The lawsuit alleges they misled couples and their families by accepting payment for photography and videography services that were not provided as promised.
The Department of Justice said it received 228 consumer complaints about the business since January, representing reported losses totaling nearly $600,000.
In May, Superior Court Judge Bryan Collins Jr. issued a preliminary injunction requiring the defendants to provide all edited and unedited photographs and videos to customers who had paid for them but had not received them. The order gave the defendants 30 days to comply.
Collins also froze the company’s assets and prohibited the defendants from doing business in North Carolina while the state’s case continued.
The attorney general’s motion alleges the defendants failed to deliver all the required photographs and videos during the 30-day period. It also says they did not provide the state with a verified list identifying the consumers who received materials and describing what was delivered.
A default judgment can be entered when a party fails to defend a case or comply with applicable court requirements. The judge must decide whether the state has established grounds for the judgment and which remedies, if any, should be granted.
The motion is part of a civil enforcement case. The Department of Justice’s announcement does not constitute a ruling on the motion, and the defendants remain entitled to respond through the court process.
Editor’s note:
This article was drafted with the assistance of artificial intelligence and was reviewed and fact-checked by a member of the NC Political News editorial team before publication.
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