Suit Against Tuskegee University for Allegedly Using Photographs Without Permission Voluntarily Dismissed
In November 2024, we published a post about a case involving Tuskegee University (“Tuskegee” or the “University”) in Alabama and a photographer named Steven Lamont Markos (“Markos”). At the time, we reported that Markos had filed a copyright action against Tuskegee, alleging that the University used several images on its website that belonged to him and were displayed without his consent or license.
Following the filing of the complaint, Tuskegee submitted multiple motions to extend its deadline to answer, a process that lasted for approximately eight months. Then, unexpectedly, on July 30, 2025, Markos filed a Notice of Voluntary Dismissal, asking the court to dismiss the case with prejudice. This means that the claims cannot be refiled based on the same allegations, and that each party will bear its own costs.
While the record does not disclose the specific reasons behind Markos’s decision to withdraw his claims, it appears likely that the parties engaged in ongoing settlement discussions during the extension period. Regardless of the underlying reasons, the dismissal removes another case from the court’s docket, allowing the court to focus its resources on other pending matters.