RALEIGH, N.C. — RALEIGH, N.C. — Nearly a year after her wedding, Brittany Marett is still waiting for some of the memories she paid a Raleigh-area photography company to capture.
“I’m still emailing the company every day to try to get those and some missing footage as well,” Marett said.
Marett said she is still waiting for drone footage, recordings and family photos from her December wedding.
“I would love more than anything if they would just surrender those files to me so I can put this situation to rest,” she said.
Now, North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson says couples have new legal leverage.
A judge has granted a default judgment against Holly Christina Photography and its owners, Holly Christina Scott Ayscue and Christopher Owen Ayscue.
The ruling orders the company to turn over all raw and edited photos and videos customers paid for and pay nearly $600,000 in restitution and more than $1.1 million in civil penalties.
The North Carolina Department of Justice said it received 228 complaints against the company, with reported losses totaling nearly $600,000.
“This case was about getting couples back the memories of their wedding day,” Jackson said. “We’ve won our case, and we’ll keep fighting to get these couples their photos.”
Marett said the situation has taken a toll.
“This is put a lot of stress on us,” she said. “My wedding was in December and I haven’t got my family photos back.”
The judgment also permanently bars the owners from entering into certain photography and videography contracts involving advance payments.
Jackson said the ruling gives his office additional power to force the company’s owners to comply with the court’s orders.
“We can now tell the owners of this company there’s an easy way and a hard way,” Jackson said. “The easy way, it should give us the wedding photos. The hard way is we haul you back in front of the judge and we ask that you be held in contempt.”
Jackson said the owners also must provide a full accounting of their assets.
He said the ruling sends a message to other businesses that the state will take action when consumers across North Carolina are harmed.
“I want businesses and contractors across the state to know the AG will stop and work on your case specifically if you go out and swindle a bunch of people across the state,” Jackson said.
Jackson said the company’s owners are also prohibited from continuing to operate a photography or videography business that takes advance payments.
“She’s been driven out of business,” Jackson said. “She’s not allowed to do business. She’s not allowed to do anything like this again.”
But for the couples involved, the judgment is about more than a business being shut down.
Marett said she is hoping the remaining photos and videos can finally be recovered within the next 30 days.
“I am praying that within 30 days we can get some type of resolution with that,” she said.
Jackson said his office will continue working to get the couples the photos and videos they paid for.
“We’ve won our case, and we’ll keep fighting to get these couples their photos,” Jackson said.