A father is suing a video production company, alleging it surprised the family with a huge boost in fees to record his son's bar mitzvah and then delivered a video laced with racy song lyrics.
Dru Goodman filed a lawsuit July 16 in Cook County Circuit Court against Xpress Video Productions Inc., alleging fraud and breach of contract.
According to the complaint, Goodman contracted with Xpress to provide video production services at his son's bar mitzvah that would cost about $3,000 and Goodman provided a $500 deposit. The suit says on Oct. 25, 2014, the date of the bar mitzvah, the Xpress representative demanded an extra $6,995 for the video, including the $500 already provided, which was 150 percent more than the originally quoted price.
The suit says Goodman reluctantly agreed to the new price, since he was put on the spot, but when he went to play the video later, the lawsuit states, guests received a shock. The video "contained unauthorized music and lyrics full of profanity, misogynistic and violent language toward women, as well as other offensive language and subject matter highly inappropriate for 13-year-old children," the lawsuit states.
The plaintiff alleges counts of breach of contract, fraud, intentional infliction of emotional distress, invasion of privacy (false light) and a violation of the state Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Practices Act.
Goodman seeks the return of the added charge ($4,495), as well as interest, court costs, attorney fees, unspecified punitive damages and relief of more than $100,000. He is represented by attorneys Michael S. Pomerantz and Glenn M. Kanter of Brown, Udell, Pomerantz & Delrahim in Chicago.
Cook County Circuit Court case number 2015L007276.