Whalen v. Villegas

40 Misc. 3d 310
CourtNassau County District Court
DecidedApril 1, 2013
StatusPublished

This text of 40 Misc. 3d 310 (Whalen v. Villegas) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Nassau County District Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Whalen v. Villegas, 40 Misc. 3d 310 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 2013).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

Fred J. Hirsh, J.

Plaintiffs move for summary judgment on their first and third causes of action and/or to strike defendants’ answer for failure to comply with a prior order of this court directing discovery and/or to compel discovery.

Background

“Long ago, it must be, I have a photograph, preserve your memories, they’re all that’s left you.” (Paul Simon, “Bookends.”)

What damages can the bride and groom recover when the memories that were supposed to be preserved of their wedding in photographs are not preserved?

Stephanie Spector and Jacob Whalen (collectively Whalen) were married on August 20, 2011. They will never be able to fully relive their wedding in pictures because the defendant Unique Vision Studios (Unique) did not properly transfer all of their wedding photographs from camera to computer.1

Jacob entered into a written agreement with Unique dated [313]*313December 2, 2010 pursuant to which Unique was to provide 10 hours of photography at an unlimited number of locations, blended style photography, 300-500 high resolution color corrected and retouched images on a DVD with rights to reproduce and a password protected web gallery with the option to purchase prints, two parent 8 inch by 8 inch photo books, an engagement photo shoot and a 16 inch by 20 inch canvas print.

Unique provided a photographer and photographer’s assistant for Whalen’s wedding who took the required photographs at all the appropriate locations.

The photographs were taken on a digital camera and were recorded on a memory card. When the photographer got back to Unique’s studio, the photographs were supposed to be transferred from the memory card in the camera used to photograph Whalen’s wedding to Unique’s computer for color correction and retouching.

Unique believed all the photographs had been downloaded from the memory card to its computer. Unique did not check its computer to confirm the photographs had been transferred from the memory card to the computer until Nina Sosnicka Villegas began to look at the photographs to retouch the images and do the color corrections.

Before Nina checked the photographs, Unique had reused the memory card used to shoot Whalen’s wedding and shot over some of the pictures taken of Whalen’s wedding. As a result, the photographs taken at the cocktail hour, the portraits of the entire bridal party, the photographs of the bride with her maid of honor and bridesmaids and the family portraits were permanently lost.

Whalen has received the photographs of the bride and groom alone, the bridal party getting ready for the wedding, the wedding ceremony, the first dance, the bride’s dance with her mother, the groom’s dance with his mother and photographs of the bride and the groom cutting the cake. Whalen claims these photographs were taken by the photographer’s assistant and are of inferior quality. Whalen claims these photographs do not show all subjects of the shots and are unedited. Plaintiffs claim none of the photographs they received were color corrected or retouched.

Neither party indicates whether Stephanie’s or Jacob’s parents have received their photo books, whether Whalen has received its 16 inch by 20 inch canvas or the photographs of the engagement photo shoot and/or if Unique posted a web gallery.

[314]*314By motion submitted to the court on June 12, 2012, plaintiffs previously moved for summary judgment and to compel discovery. By order dated August 21, 2012, this court denied plaintiffs’ motion for summary judgment on the grounds plaintiffs’ papers were facially defective because plaintiffs had failed to attach a copy of the pleadings to the papers. The court further found the papers were insufficient as a matter of law to establish a prima facie entitlement to judgment as a matter of law. Plaintiffs have not appealed from or moved to renew or reargue the court’s August 21, 2012 decision and order.

The court’s order dated August 21, 2012 also directed defendants to provide responses to items 3, 5, 6 and 8 of plaintiffs’ notice to produce. The order found plaintiffs’ demand for interrogatories and notice to admit palpably improper and vacated the demand for interrogatories and notice to admit.

Whalen moves again for summary judgment on its first and third causes of action.

In the first cause of action, Whalen seeks to recover in breach of contract the money it paid Unique for the photographs together with costs incurred to rent the Vanderbilt Museum for family and wedding party portraits, costs incurred for a limousine to transport the family and wedding party to the Vanderbilt Museum and from the Vanderbilt Museum to the reception and additional costs incurred for hair and makeup services for the bride, the bride’s and groom’s mothers and the bridal party at the Vanderbilt Museum and wedding venue.

In the third cause of action, Whalen seeks to recover damages for the costs it claims it will incur to re-shoot the lost wedding photos including $4,748 to rent the catering hall at which the wedding and reception were held for four hours and food for 50 people, $1,200 for flowers, $1,884 for tuxedos for the groom, groomsmen, the bride’s father and the ring bearer, $700 for fittings for the bridal party, $1,990 for hair and makeup, $1,957 for travel expenses and $2,440 to pay another photographer to shoot the pictures.2 The third cause of action seeks these damages in contract and tort based upon defendants “gross breach” of the original contract and “gross negligence” in shooting and losing the wedding photographs. (See complaint If 30.)

[315]*315In addition to the original agreement, the third cause of action is based upon a November 7, 2011 email from Nina to Stephanie advising Stephanie some of the photos had been lost. The email stated one of the memory cards had produced corrupted files. Nina stated she did not learn of this problem until she began editing the photos. The email further stated Unique had never previously had this problem. Stephanie was advised Unique made efforts to recover the corrupted photos but could not. The email advised Stephanie the family portraits, the photos of Stephanie and the bridesmaids and group photos of the bridal party were corrupted and unrecoverable.

The email stated a second camera had been used to shoot the wedding and these photos were saved and would be provided. In this email, Nina offered to re-shoot the lost photos.

On November 17, 2011, Whalen’s attorney sent a letter to Unique advising Unique Whalen would accept the offer of a re-shoot provided it was done “TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE.”

Unique never re-shot the lost photos. Whalen never had the lost photos re-shot.

Whalen asserts defendants have not complied with the court’s prior order directing defendants to respond to items 3, 5, 6, and 8 of plaintiffs’ notice to produce. Defendants assert they responded by letter dated August 29, 2012 in which defendants assert they have previously provided Whalen with a copy of the contract (item 3), prints of all unedited photographs (item 5), prints of all edited photographs (item 6) and all print screens and web galleries of images of Whalen’s wedding (item 8).

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Bluebook (online)
40 Misc. 3d 310, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/whalen-v-villegas-nydistctnassau-2013.