The lawsuit filed by Jeremy Wagner of Broken Hope, etc. fame against acclaimed rock and metal photographer Ross Halfin last year has ended in a default judgment. Known for his work with countless star musicians, Halfin has worked extensively with the likes of Metallica and other legends, including AC/DC, Iron Maiden and more.
The suit was filed in the latter half of 2024 and is centered around four 1975-76 era Lynyrd Skynyrd prints which Wagner purchased from Halfin. Wagner claimed the prints cost him over $7300, and later found out that only none of the four photos were actually taken by Halfin. Three were attributed to another photographer by the name of Barry Plummer, with the fourth being attributed to an unidentified photographer.
Wagner went on to claim that Halfin went so far as signing the prints of the shots taken by Plummer and the unidentified individual, thus misrepresenting them as his own. He further claimed that Halfin had intentionally defrauded him with the sale. This retrospective piece on the case newly published by George Chin, Wagner‘s legal representative in the UK, reveals that Halfin did not attend several hearings regarding the case.
Chin went on to say that Halfin also, “admitted through his attorney that all the facts of the case are true”, thus making him liable for consumer fraud in Wagner‘s home state of Illinois. Given Halfin‘s alleged refusal/inability to partake in the legal proceedings, the court granted a default judgment favoring Wagner, which consisted of, “an Order for compensatory damages, punitive damages, attorney’s fees and costs totalling $61,241 (USD) or £47,108 (GBP).”
Update: December 02nd, 2025 07:23pm:
It has since been clarified that the legal proceedings determined that all four of the prints sold to Wagner were not taken by Halfin, with three being attributed to Barry Plummer, and the fourth to an unidentified photographer. Wagner‘s team also claim that Halfin was proven to have never actually photographed Lynyrd Skynyrd during the 70s.