Attorney Sued Over Ansel Adams Negatives

A California man has sued his attorney after he found and subsequently bought two boxes of photographic negatives allegedly by Ansel Adams.  Rick Norsigian claims he was cheated from thousands of dollars from the sale of photographs and posters made from the glass plates.

While Norsigian only paid $45 for the lot at a garage sale, he maintained that the negatives are among those believed to have been lost after a fire in Ansel Adams’ studio. 

Seven years after finding the negatives, Norsigian hired attorney Arnold Peter to represent him in the sale of the prints.  Yet, according to the lawsuit, the decision was ill advised.  Norsigian alleges Peter deceitfully induced him to sign an agreement with defendant Media Partners Global, a company owned by the attorney, to sell the images and now refuses to pay him what he is due.

Yet, in August 2010 the Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust sued Norsigian, contending he was violating its commercial trademark on the Ansel Adams name.  He eventually settled the suit by agreeing not to associate Adams’s name, likeness or trademark in any way with the marketing the photographs made from his negatives. 

However, Norsigian says that to date he has not received anywhere near what he is entitled form the sale of images generated from his negatives.  He is seeking compensatory and punitive damages, rescission of his contract with the defendants, the imposition of a constrictive trust and a proper accounting of proceeds and expenses related to the sale of the images. 

See Dan McCue, ‘Lost Negatives’ Owner Sues Attorney for Fraud, Courthouse News Service, Sept. 18, 2014.