Sadowski v. Bre Law, LLC et al., Civil Action No. 1:21-cv-2465-SEG (N.D. Ga. May 23, 2022)

Plaintiff Christopher Sadowski filed suit against Defendants Bre Law, LLC et al. on June 16, 2021 in the Northern District of Georgia (Atlanta Division) alleging copyright infringement and the unauthorized alteration of copyright management information under the Copyright Act of the United States, 17 U.S.C. § 101 and 17 U.S.C. § 1202. According to the Complaint, Sadowski is a professional commercial photographer and registered his image of a crime scene (pictured below) with the Copyright Office. The Complaint further alleges that Sadowski’s crime scene image first appeared in a New York Post article on October 8, 2019 titled “Man Stabs Brother to Death, Hangs Himself Inside Upper West Side Apartment: Cops.”

Exs. A-B. As detailed in the Complaint, Sadowski’s copyright infringement claims arise from Defendants’ use of Sadowski’s crime scene image on Defendants’ website to market legal services without Sadowski’s permission and photo credit.

Ex. C. On April 25, 2022, the parties reached a settlement agreement. Consequently, Judge Sarah E. Geraghty issued an order on May 23, 2022 directing the Clerk to approve the parties’ dismissal stipulation and close the case. Judge Geraghty noted, however, that the Court will nonetheless retain jurisdiction over the matter until August 31, 2022 to enforce the terms of the settlement agreement.