The complaint
David Gordon Oppenheimer v. The Velasco and Reynolds Team, LLC, Rafael Velasco, and Ryan A. Reynolds-Garibay, No. 1:26-cv-11478 (N.D. Ill., Eastern Division), was filed September 18, 2026, ECF No. 1 (13 pages). Oppenheimer, a photographer in Asheville, North Carolina, demands a jury trial. The docket shows the case is assigned to Judge Martha M. Pacold.
The work
Oppenheimer alleges he took an aerial photograph of the Palos Park neighborhood in Illinois from a commercial jet in July 2015 and registered it as part of a collection under Registration No. VAu 1-229-868, effective July 26, 2015. The Copyright Office public record lists that collection, "Chicago Travel and Aerial Photographs Including The Grateful Dead at Soldier Field," with Oppenheimer as claimant. He alleges he published the photograph on Flickr with a visible watermark and copyright notices in its metadata.
What the complaint alleges
Oppenheimer alleges, on information and belief, that the LLC is a real estate brokerage and marketing business and that the two individual defendants are its principals. He alleges, on information and belief, that in or around August 2023 one or more defendants cropped the photograph to remove his copyright management information and displayed it on the team's website, including in a blog post about Chicago suburbs. He alleges that a February 2026 notice letter and three follow-ups drew no substantive response.
Claims and relief
The complaint pleads direct copyright infringement against all defendants; vicarious and contributory infringement, in the alternative, against the two individual defendants; and removal of copyright management information under 17 U.S.C. § 1202(b) against all defendants. It seeks an injunction, damages, and fees.
On the docket
Oppenheimer filed an initial status report on October 29, 2026. On October 30, 2026, the court struck the November 5 initial status hearing and ordered an updated status report on service and the status of the case by December 8, 2026.