JEREMY WAGNER Wins Case Against Rock Photographer ROSS HALFIN Over Four Fraudulent Photos

Metal musician Jeremy Wagner (Broken Hope, Earthburner, etc.) has won a default judgement against legendary rock music photographer Ross Halfin.

The case against Halfin by Wagner was originally filed in 2024 and centered around three black & white prints and one color print of Lynyrd Skynyrd sold to Wagner by Halfin in 2018. All four photos were embossed with Halfin‘s stamp, signed by Halfin, and designated as prints made from Ross Halfin original photographs. Except they weren’t taken by Halfin.

In October 2023, Wagner discovered three of the photos were taken by Barry Plummer. Wagner wrote to Halfin in January 2024 to reveal what he had discovered and demanded his money back. Wagner also reached out to Plummer in July 2024, who confirmed in writing that the three black & white prints were his photographs – the fourth is by an unknown photographer.

According to Wagner‘s legal representative George Chin in a written piece, Halfin never responded. “In August 2024, Halfin attempted to arrange a meeting through an intermediary with Wagner backstage at a Metallica concert in Chicago which Wagner declined requesting Halfin to communicate instead to his legal representative,” wrote Chin.

“Having reached an apparent deadlock, Wagner next instructed his attorney in Chicago to commence a civil claim against Halfin for violation of the Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act, and papers were duly served on Halfin in December 2024.”

Halfin did not show up for a handful of hearings in early 2024, and “in a hearing on May 21, 2025, Halfin admitted through his attorney that all the facts of the case are true and that he is liable for consumer fraud in violation of the Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act.”

Halfin also did not attend a hearing on November 24, 2025 to settle the amount of damages to be awarded to Wagner, and Wagner was granted a default judgement for compensatory damages, punitive damages, attorney’s fees and costs totaling $61,241.