John Curtis Rice sues Heritage Coach over a photograph posted on Facebook

The complaint

John Curtis Rice v. Heritage Coach Co., Inc., No. 5:26-cv-06517-JLS (E.D. Pa.), is a nine-page complaint filed September 1, 2026, ECF No. 1, with a jury demand.

The photograph

Rice alleges he photographed the casket of the late musical artist DMX being carried to a Brooklyn memorial service in a customized truck, that he first published the photograph on April 24, 2021, and that it was registered on June 28, 2021, as VA 2-258-863.

What it alleges

The complaint describes Heritage Coach, on information and belief, as a company based in Pottstown, Pennsylvania that sells hearses to funeral homes, and alleges that it owns and operates a Facebook account used to promote its business. It alleges that on or about May 4, 2021 Heritage Coach copied and displayed the photograph in a Facebook post without permission, and that Rice first observed the post on July 24, 2024. The single count pleads direct copyright infringement under 17 U.S.C. § 501.

Rice seeks actual damages and profits under 17 U.S.C. § 504(b) or, at his election, statutory damages under 17 U.S.C. § 504(c), an injunction under 17 U.S.C. § 502(a), attorneys' fees and costs under 17 U.S.C. § 505, and interest.

On the docket

A summons issued on September 1, 2026, the day the complaint was filed.