The complaint
Christopher Sadowski v. High Point Construction Group Corp., No. 1:26-cv-07209 (E.D.N.Y.), is a 10-page complaint filed November 9, 2026, with a jury demand. A November 9, 2026 docket entry assigns the case to Judge Eric R. Komitee and Chief Magistrate Judge Vera M. Scanlon. Sadowski is an individual who, the complaint says, is a citizen of New Jersey and maintains a principal place of business in Passaic County, New Jersey. High Point Construction Group Corp. is a New York corporation with a principal place of business in Brooklyn, Kings County, New York. The complaint says the company owns and operates a website at highpointgc.com.
The photograph
The complaint says Sadowski created a photograph of a New York City Subway W train stopped at the 42nd Street station in Midtown Manhattan, first published it on January 31, 2021 by commercially licensing it to a newspaper for display or public distribution, and that the photograph was registered on March 31, 2021 under Registration No. VA 2-246-656. It says he selected the subject matter, timing, lighting, angle, perspective, depth, lens, and camera equipment used to capture the image. The Copyright Office public record for VA 2-246-656 lists the title 2021-Q1 Photo Collection, a group registration of 243 published photographs published January 1 to March 31, 2021, with a registration date of March 31, 2021 and a 2021 creation year. It lists Christopher Sadowski as author and claimant.
What it alleges
The complaint alleges that on or about December 20, 2023, without permission or authorization, the company willfully and volitionally reproduced and publicly displayed the photograph on its website as part of an online post at https://highpointgc.com/services/plant-hire/. It says Sadowski first observed the use on October 11, 2024, and that on or about October 25, 2024, through counsel, he notified the company and demanded that it cease and desist and compensate him. It says the company failed or refused to adequately address the claims. It alleges, on information and belief, that the website is part of the company's commercial enterprise and is used to attract customers and promote its services, that the company knew or should have known the photograph was protected by copyright, that visible copyright management information identifying Sadowski was removed, omitted, obscured, altered, or not reproduced, and that the company controls the website's content through representatives and derived a financial benefit attributable to the use. It also alleges, on information and belief, that the company is not entitled to the limitations on liability in 17 U.S.C. § 512 because the use was selected and published by the company or its representatives.
The claims and relief
The First Cause of Action pleads direct copyright infringement under 17 U.S.C. § 501 et seq. and calls it willful. Sadowski asks for a finding that the company infringed his rights in the photograph, actual damages and disgorgement of profits under 17 U.S.C. § 504(b) or, in the alternative at his election, statutory damages under 17 U.S.C. § 504(c), an order under 17 U.S.C. § 502(a) enjoining any infringing use of any of his works, costs and reasonable attorney's fees under 17 U.S.C. § 505, pre-judgment interest, and other relief the court deems just and proper. He demands a jury trial.