Suing A Manufacturer That Refuses To Give Me A Refund Or Product

Hey everyone:

I need some legal advice on bringing a lawsuit against a manufacturer in Pennsylvania.

On March 28th, 2024 I paid a printer $5k to produce art prints for me. The hand-pulled screen-printed posters were for an anniversary in June.

Before I paid, the printer told me that I would receive the prints within 4 weeks, but that he could not send a sample unless I ordered at least 50 prints. The artwork had to be adjusted several times to achieve the right colors. So while we edited the work, he was supposed to prepare the substrates, frames, etc.

While I waited, I posted the artwork and 3D rendering of a the print. I paid for ads. The posts went rival. Thousands of people signing up to my email lists to pre-order.

Since then, every conversation has been an excuse. By June, he told me that the frames were complete but that he was for screenprinting materials from Taiwan and that it would be another 60 days.

Countless times I asked for my money back after the anniversary date passed. He ignored my requests and reassured me that production was nearly complete and he would give me an extra few prints for free in a different style to sell as super limited edition.

During this time, I did consult a corporate litigation attorney in Pennsylvania for advice but most represent the businesses. He told me to sue for losses too. But I don’t know how to quantify potential earnings.

Fast forward to today, people got disinterested and moved on. I’ve only gotten 1 erroneous sample that he said he would fix but never did.

When I complained to him he said it was not secret that his factory was having problems since Covid which he never mentioned.

Now, I’m out $5k and the costs to launch the release.

Outside of the $5k , what can I sue for? Is there any special lingo or request that I should include when specifying damages?