North Texas couple in wedding nightmare after chapel company refuses refund amid pandemic
A North Texas couple has filed a class-action lawsuit against the owners of a chapel in The Colony after being forced to cancel their wedding because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Rex Simmons and Brianna Conn, of Plano, were forced to cancel their July 18 wedding at the Chapel at Ana Villa, and their attempts to reschedule the event or receive a refund on their deposit of more than $12,000 have been thwarted, according to the lawsuit.
The owners Keith and Sarah Walters of Walters Wedding Estates, which includes multiple chapels and event venues in Texas, have refused to consider arranging an alternate date for the wedding, the lawsuit alleges.
“We know that this company’s unreasonable and unlawful stance has affected many other couples who are faced with the same dilemma,” Dallas attorney Mark Ticer said in a release. “We’re seeking class action status under Texas law on behalf of all those couples who have not or will not be able to have the wedding they contracted for and the wedding they have paid for with the company.”
Walters Wedding Estates responded via email after this story was first published early Friday evening.
Walters Wedding Estates says the couple did not need to cancel the wedding because the venue was able to handle it safely and within the Gov. Greg Abbott’s pandemic guidelines.
“We are fully capable of hosting events at the current building occupancy of 50% as mandated by Governor Abbott,” the release said. “Ms. Conn and Mr. Simmons have an estimated guest count of 120 on their contract which more than meets the criteria of the current occupancy limitations.”
If more restrictions are in place in July, the company said it will “review our process at that time.”
The venue owners have “acknowledged for many weeks that the ceremony could not be conducted as promised” because of the health orders and guidelines surrounding the pandemic, the lawsuit alleges, but have refused to issue a refund and asked for additional payments per the original contract.
“This company is taking advantage of couples and families, they are actively committing fraud and are still taking money and making money while other businesses have been forced to close due to the pandemic,” Ticer said. “They are profiting from this public health emergency at the expense of these young people, and that’s simply not lawful and not right.”
Walters Wedding Estates denies this claim and said it has lost money during the pandemic.
“Walters Wedding Estates also denies the extreme claims by Mr. Ticer that profit is being made by this health emergency,” Walters’ release said. “Due to rescheduling over 500 weddings and events at no additional cost to our clients, Walters Wedding Estates has taken a drastic revenue loss on all of those future rescheduled dates.”
Walters Wedding Estates also asserts that it offered postponement resolutions at no additional costs to anyone affected by the pandemic mandates through June 30. Of course, this did not include any scheduled dates in July.
This story was originally published June 12, 2020 at 6:37 PM.
