North Dakota Attorney General Drew Wrigley is seeking court approval for a proposed settlement with Glasser Images.
The photography business based in North Dakota abruptly closed in October of 2021. Several customers who had paid in advance for wedding photos and videos were notified via email the business was planning to file bankruptcy and cited the COVID-19 pandemic as a contributing factor.
A subsequent investigation into the business determined Glasser Images’ financial issues predated the pandemic, and several independent contractors later came forward to the media to claim they were never paid for work they completed several months prior. A news release from the Office of the Attorney General says the business was in violation of North Dakota’s consumer protection laws by soliciting payment and then failing to provide services, and that owner Jack Glasser and employee Jace Schacher used business funds to pay personal expenses.
Glasser and Schacher will be banned from operating a photography business in North Dakota for at least 15 years, and ordered to pay $807,188 in restitution as well as $30,000 in civil penalties.