Making Efforts

Andrea explained, “In fact, over two weeks ago we emailed the bride and stated our willingness to release to them their images prior to having a completed album. Then last week, we also offered to assume the cost of the album cover before the mention of a news interview ever occurred.”

Making An Exception

Andrea further said, “Although the contract provides when the images were to be delivered, we attempted to make concessions to keep the bride satisfied.” She tried it all but nothing seemed to convince the bride who was misusing the power of her social popularity to ruin a hard-working lady’s life.

An Open Letter

In the middle of this chaos, Andrea wrote an open letter in which she said: “Thousands of people that I have never met and have never worked with have gone to great lengths on social media to disparage my name and my businesses.”

Negative Judgement

She further added: “The most disgraceful review of them all occurred on Yelp: someone stated, “She gave me AIDS. Photos were okay. 2 stars.” The worst and most humiliating part was that the bride’s husband “liked” the comment.”

Calling Her A Cheat

Andrea was stunned at one point and she explained it as: “On a different social media site, the groom also called me a cheater and a scammer, and someone who “steals” money from her clients. Nothing could be further from the truth. Hundreds of people followed this comment and posted the same words on a variety of other websites, including my business Facebook page, which I temporarily had to shut down.”

Unhappy Customers Unite

Neely didn’t believe that there will be an extra cost on the album she had already paid for. Not getting the high-resolution photos of her wedding was frustrating for Neely. And that’s when the couple decided to win this fight with the support of the large population.

Nasty Messages

Neely and her husband were texting many of their friends about their plan. One of the messages read: “I’m going ape**** on our photographer, we want the wedding album we already paid for!” There were more such messages which revealed Neely’s intention to destroy Andrea’s reputation.

Shared It All

On one hand, Andrea was trying to fix the issue while on another hand, Neely was not leaving any single point to create a fuss about this incident. She once tweeted: “broke down and chose our wedding album photos… .80 out of 4000 yeah that was like sophies choice.”

Goodbye Reputation

Unfortunately, Andrea was unaware that her status was adversely affected by this incident. She said, “Thousands of people that I have never met and have never worked with have gone to great lengths … to disparage my name and my businesses.”

The Damage Is Done

After the story broke out, only two people approached her for small events photography. She was forced to leave her rented studio and turn her study room into her workplace. Penny by penny she saved for 2 years before she could finally afford a trial.

On Purpose

“We are hoping that our story makes the news and completely ruins her business,” Neely Moldovan sent many texts like these to many of her friends. These texts were used as evidence in the court to show the couple’s mean intentions for the photographer.

Two Years Of Shame

Andrea’s life became miserable as she remembered: “For two and half years I walked around my daughter’s school feeling ashamed and embarrassed. They know I’ve won now.” For a woman who never compromised with her self-respect, this was the worst moment.

Attorney Dave Wishnew

Detailed by Andrea attorney Dave Wishnew, mentioned the social media response “instantly burned down the reputation that Andrea built up over 12 years. She didn’t book any more weddings after that. It was done. The negative reviews destroyed her reputation, and in a business that is largely word-of-mouth, no one was referring her.”

Jury’s Decision

When the trial was over, a Dallas County jury supported Andrea’s case. She was awarded a seven-figure amount. Andrea said, “When the jury came out and said that, it felt like I got ‘me’ back, and that’s all I ever wanted. I just wanted my name back, for me.”

$1.08  Million Worth Damage

The judge made the decision in Andrea’s favor. She couldn’t be happier, all her stress and burden finally came to an end. Andrea was compensated for her loss with $1.08 million. She started her work all over again and this time with more confidence than ever.

In Their Defense

The Moldovans statement read: “We are stunned. We did what consumer advocates say to do: When you are wronged, you fight back. We were unhappy with a situation, so we complained like anyone would. This court decision tells consumers not to speak up for fear of fat legal bills and painful judgments.”

Taking Seriously

When the final decision came out, one of the sponsors named Martinelli’s took action against Neely. The company released a statement which read: “We have learned of a legal matter involving one of our sponsored bloggers, Nelly Moldovan, and have terminated any collaborations with her.”

Finally Vindicated

“She basically didn’t read her paperwork or contract. She just couldn’t understand why she couldn’t have her high-res images. It’s in bold in our contract,” explained Andrea. According to her, the couple believed in their own theory and they never even looked at the contract clearly.

Unalterable Damage

“The damage had already been done,” Andrea said in an interview. Yes, she had restarted everything again but the impact of all these obligations can still be seen on her career. She finds solace in the fact that she was proved right and no one can taunt her for the mistake she never did.

Moldovans’ Wedding Shoot

“Blatantly steals money from you all while holding your pictures ransom,” a profile holder wrote in the review section of the Moldovans’ wedding shoot. Many other people’s negative comment still remain on this page.