> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Newlyweds initiated city attorney’s investigation - URL: https://www.smdp.com/newlyweds-initiated-city-attorneys-investigation/ - Published: 2003-01-30T16:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-23T01:26:22.000Z - Author: Andrew Fixmer - Tags: Crime, Santa Monica, #archive-import *Photographer still on the hook for wedding photos* Tracy and Danielle Baum’s dream wedding turned into a nightmare when their photographer failed to give them any photos of the event. Now they are trying to get their money back from Juli Armitage, who is facing criminal charges for allegedly defrauding 17 couples, including the Baums, out of thousands of dollars worth of wedding photographs. The Baums, who live in West L.A., won a small claims judgment against Armitage for about $4,500 last year, but they have yet to be paid any of the money. Armitage was supposed to appear in court Wednesday to answer to a judge why she hasn’t returned the Baum’s money. But she didn’t show up. Instead, she called the court to say she was having car trouble and was stuck in Ventura County. She told the court she would appear at 10:30 a.m. When she didn’t appear, Judge Pro Tem Alan Freedman rescheduled the hearing for Feb. 10. Even though her attorney has advised her to not speak to the press, Armitage called the Daily Press on Wednesday evening and left a voice mail message that she didn’t have car trouble, but instead has been instructed by her attorney not to go to court or have any further contact with her past clients. She said the next time she is scheduled to appear in court will be Feb. 24 for criminal proceedings levied by the Santa Monica City Attorney’s Office. The Baums filed a complaint with the city attorney’s office in August 2002, more than a year after their wedding. The consumer affairs division investigated the complaint and found many more couple who also had not received their photos or money. The city attorney’s office filed charges in December against Armitage, alleging that she promised wedding photography packages but didn’t provide the goods to more than a dozen couples. The complaint, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, lists 17 separate couples who claim Armitage collected thousands of dollars from each of them, but didn’t provide photos of their wedding or never showed up to the wedding at all. Armitage has denied those allegations. If convicted of all 17 misdemeanor citations, Armitage faces a maximum penalty of 17 years in jail and a $17,000 fine. > “It’s a tragedy and a travesty of justice.” — Tracy Baum said > “But if you have to put something in, go ahead.” > “I can’t see writing anything now because you don’t have any information,” > “It was a great day full of great memories, and she shattered our dream of having albums of that day to share with our relatives and future generations,” Armitage said she went to every wedding and provided each couple with contact sheets, which show the photos she took. The couples selected the photos they wanted in their photo albums, but because of personal family problems she was unable to put the albums together, she said. She accuses the city attorney’s office of only making matters worse. After receiving a search warrant on Oct. 1, the city attorney’s office seized Armitage’s negatives and computer hard drives as evidence. Because the city won’t return her belongings, Armitage said she cannot complete the work. Deputy City Attorney Adam Radinsky has previously said Armitage had plenty of opportunity for more than a year to make good on the wedding contracts. “It doesn’t make sense to blame the city now for not being able to finish her work,” he said. “There were any number of times when she could have made good on these contracts and she didn’t.” Two weeks after their wedding, the Baums said Armitage told them her camera was damaged and the shutter had stayed two-thirds of the way open during their July 15, 2001, wedding. They said she promised to salvage as many photos as possible. But then they said Armitage stopped returning their calls, and rarely answered their e-mail messages. “My initial feeling was that she must be so overwhelmed because this is her career and all these weddings she ruined, but I found out she was still working,” said Danielle Baum. The couple is furious Armitage hasn’t tried to make things right by turning over the negatives or paying back the money. “We would so like to prevent other people from engaging or doing any business with her,” said Tracy Baum. > “We would so like to prevent other people from engaging or doing any business with (Armitage).” — she said in her message. — TRACY BAUM Plaintiff ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/55/9f/559f9abc-8372-4a2e-8c2d-27386da4e363/content/images/2026/10/013003-01_01.jpg) (Photo: Carolyn Sackariason/Daily Press) *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on January 30, 2003.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/013003.pdf?ref=smdp.com)