Would you sue a stylist if too much of your hair were cut off or they damaged it?

[fluffylocks]

I was watching a courtroom show where a women had her hair overproccessed from bleach, and one side was about eye length it looked, and the other past her shoulders, and it was thinner
So, she was saying she wanted i think $3,000 because she really cares about her hair---and people in the courtroom were laughing, like it was ridicoulous

And then i remember watching a black girl on the peoples court suing alont time ago because too much of her hair was cut off, and the judge thought it was crazy and said "hair is hair, it will grow back" or something like that.....


Do you think its crazy? Would you sue?


I know i would, if i reach my goal ( wich will probally be 3 years in total), and i've spent all of this money, all of this time---i will want to sue for a million.
And one of my arguing cases would be because i am black and they dont even know the half of the struggle

What about you?

 

[meaganita]

I remember that old court case you're talking about! I don't and won't use any chemical on my hair, so chemical damage wouldn't be an issue for me. But I'd might sue a stylist for burning my hair out or cutting waaayyy too much off if it was bad enough. Either way, they'd never get my business again.

 

[FlawedBeauty]

nope i wouldnt sue. because i prolly wouldnt get anything and end up owing money in court fees

 

[fluffylocks]

You do! She was young and had a light complexion right?

I knew nothing about hair then, I think i was like 15 still asking my mom to try diff. greases so i could get some growth-- i was like omg, this judge doesnt understand how much of a miracle it is for this african american female to have hair that grows, mine doesnt!

Oh man though, it would go beyond them not getting my buissness again

 

[la mosca]

I saw the show you're talking about (in which the woman's hair was overprocessed by bleach). In an extreme case like hers, where the hair would have to be cut from about shoulder length to two inches long, I would definitely consider legal action. (Heck, I'm a lawyer, so I would handle it myself.)

Also, I don't think the amount of money the plaintiff was asking for was ridiculous, but the audience (and the judge) apparently did. She probably could have presented her case a little better, though, because she did appear to have gone off the deep end about it. However, $3000 for the loss of essentially all of one's hair is not unreasonable. Personally, I was appalled. And predictably, the hairdresser showed no remorse.

I was watching a courtroom show where a women had her hair overproccessed from bleach, and one side was about eye length it looked, and the other past her shoulders, and it was thinner
So, she was saying she wanted i think $3,000 because she really cares about her hair---and people in the courtroom were laughing, like it was ridicoulous

And then i remember watching a black girl on the peoples court suing alont time ago because too much of her hair was cut off, and the judge thought it was crazy and said "hair is hair, it will grow back" or something like that.....


Do you think its crazy? Would you sue?


I know i would, if i reach my goal ( wich will probally be 3 years in total), and i've spent all of this money, all of this time---i will want to sue for a million.
And one of my arguing cases would be because i am black and they dont even know the half of the struggle

What about you?

 

[Neroli]

I was watching a courtroom show where a women had her hair overproccessed from bleach, and one side was about eye length it looked, and the other past her shoulders, and it was thinner
So, she was saying she wanted i think $3,000 because she really cares about her hair---and people in the courtroom were laughing, like it was ridicoulous

And then i remember watching a black girl on the peoples court suing alont time ago because too much of her hair was cut off, and the judge thought it was crazy and said "hair is hair, it will grow back" or something like that.....


Do you think its crazy? Would you sue?


I know i would, if i reach my goal ( wich will probally be 3 years in total), and i've spent all of this money, all of this time---i will want to sue for a million.
And one of my arguing cases would be because i am black and they dont even know the half of the struggle

What about you?

I would be interested to know the outcome of those cases.

As an attorney, the question for me is: what is the extent of the damage?

1. If its chemical overprocessing from perms, relaxers, bleaches, etc., where only the HAIR is damage and will eventually grown back, then prolly not worth suing.

2. However, if there's extensive SCALP damage with long term problems that may effect ability to grow healthy hair, then, maybe.

In order to sue effectively, you gotta have a credible cause of action with actual, compensable damages. Now all this depends on a lot of other things, like, if more hair is cut off then should have been, I'd sue if say, my job depended on having long hair cuz now I have a compensable damage (I loss earnings as result of shorter hair). But if I'm just p.o. cuz stylist took of coupla inch more, then, prolly not.

Soooooo, all this to say really depends, but if just p.o. and no really damage measurable in $$, then really difficult to collect, even if you can prove . . .

 

[fluffylocks]

I would be interested to know the outcome of those cases.

As an attorney, the question for me is: what is the extent of the damage?

1. If its chemical overprocessing from perms, relaxers, bleaches, etc., where only the HAIR is damage and will eventually grown back, then prolly not worth suing.

2. However, if there's extensive SCALP damage with long term problems that may effect ability to grow healthy hair, then, maybe.

In order to sue effectively, you gotta have a credible cause of action with actual, compensable damages. Now all this depends on a lot of other things, like, if more hair is cut off then should have been, I'd sue if say, my job depended on having long hair cuz now I have a compensable damage (I loss earnings as result of shorter hair). But if I'm just p.o. cuz stylist took of coupla inch more, then, prolly not.

Soooooo, all this to say really depends, but if just p.o. and no really damage measurable in $$, then really difficult to collect, even if you can prove . . .

The first one---i had to run out and missed it
The second one--she didnt get any money

Okay, but say if it was me, and they cut my hair or damaged it from shoulderlength to eye length and i went in there and said the following ( do you think i would get ANYTHING?)

- Never had healthy/this length hair all of my life ( past 6), finally got it healthy and love it to death
-Am a student, been spending all of my little money on my hair for almost 2 years
-And alot of african american women dont even think they can grow their hair/it takes alot of work and time

I dont go to the salon, but now, i dont think i ever will

 

[la mosca]

In the first one, the plaintiff recovered about $1200.

The first one---i had to run out and missed it
The second one--she didnt get any money

Okay, but say if it was me, and they cut my hair or damaged it from shoulderlength to eye length and i went in there and said the following ( do you think i would get ANYTHING?)

- Never had healthy/this length hair all of my life ( past 6), finally got it healthy and love it to death
-Am a student, been spending all of my little money on my hair for almost 2 years
-And alot of african american women dont even think they can grow their hair/it takes alot of work and time

I dont go to the salon, but now, i dont think i ever will

 

[Candy_C]

yes i would!!!!



i'm really fussy like that, i would make sure she bever chopped to much anyway, i want four mirrors to see what she/he is cutting

also, even though money wouldnt grow the hair back, it would pay for more biotin hehe

 

[Neroli]

The first one---i had to run out and missed it
The second one--she didnt get any money

Okay, but say if it was me, and they cut my hair or damaged it from shoulderlength to eye length and i went in there and said the following ( do you think i would get ANYTHING?)

- Never had healthy/this length hair all of my life ( past 6), finally got it healthy and love it to death
-Am a student, been spending all of my little money on my hair for almost 2 years
-And alot of african american women dont even think they can grow their hair/it takes alot of work and time

I dont go to the salon, but now, i dont think i ever will

Well, if you wanted to hire me as your attorney with those reasons, wouldn't take the case cuz you'd have the burden of proof as plaintiff and not sure you could prove some of your claims. Soooo, hypothetically, let's take your reasons one at a time:

-Healthy hair. Can you PROVE you've never had healthy hair before? If you can, then you must have a health condition which prevents you from having healthy hair . . . Right there, defendants will be all over that (at least I would if I represented the defendants!) I mean the very FACT that you never had healthy hair would become an argument and issue in and of itself . . .

-Length of hair. While you may be able to PROVE hair lenght by producing evidence (pictures, witnesses, etc.), what have you lost? That is, what measurable DAMAGES have you suffered as a result of the hair cut? I mean, measureable in the sense of $$$.

-Student spending $$. This may be your only viable argument and you could PROVE by producting 2 years worth of receipts as evidence of $$$ spent. Whether this would be enough to collect, will be up to the judge/jury . . .

-AA women and long hair. Ummm, this one, I wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole in a court room! That is soooo loaded and very very difficult to PROVE. For every witness you produce that says they didn't know they could grow hair, defendant will produce 5 that says they did. Indeed, if I represented defendant, I would produce expert witness, all LHCF member, who will dispute your claim.

Wow, that was kinda fun!

Any other legal eagles out there, jump in and trash my arguments. . . .

 

[KiniKakes]

Hmmm, i might.......... If something extreme happened, and i lost WL or TB length hair at the hands of some lackadaisical stylist.

I would first consult with an attorney and figure out if i had a credible case. In that initial appointment with my lawyer I'd definitely bring an organized binder of evidence, and it would include the past few years of my carefully documenting my hair regimen with pictures, journals, listings of products and their costs, bank statements, etc. The attorney would see my growth over the years, the time and diligence i've put into it, and would basically realize that this hair thang is NOT a game or even hobby to me. Hopefully he/she would realize, and appreciate, that black hair care (for me) is a serious and involved endeavor that I have invested a great deal of time and energy. I hope the lawyer would take me seriously and subsequently represent me in court. Whether i won or not...... not as important to me. It's the principal. I'd want that dern hair dresser to know that i am extremely displeased with her actions and i am about business!!!!

 

[Neroli]

Hmmm, i might.......... If something extreme happened, and i lost WL or TB length hair at the hands of some lackadaisical stylist.

I would first consult with an attorney and figure out if i had a credible case. In that initial appointment with my lawyer I'd definitely bring an organized binder of evidence, and it would include the past few years of my carefully documenting my hair regimen with pictures, journals, listings of products and their costs, bank statements, etc. The attorney would see my growth over the years, the time and diligence i've put into it, and would basically realize that this hair thang is NOT a game or even hobby to me. Hopefully he/she would realize, and appreciate, that black hair care (for me) is a serious and involved endeavor that I have invested a great deal of time and energy. I hope the lawyer would take me seriously and subsequently represent me in court. Whether i won or not...... not as important to me. It's the principal. I'd won that dern hair dresser to know that i am extremely displeased with her actions and i am about business!!!!

Attorneys, especially poor ones like me, won't take cases they know are losers. Unless the client paying a lot of money to make a point, then no problem. But if my fee depends on winning, then, I gotta look at whether the case is winnable. A lot of times, its not so much the merit of the claims, but the legal hurdles one must jump thru in order to win and the first thing would be is to look at the case from the point of view of your opponent and anticipate THEIR arguments.

I, as a long time LHCF member certainly understand the work, time, effort and money that I've personally spent growing my hair healthy!

 

[KiniKakes]

Attorneys, especially poor ones like me, won't take cases they know are losers. Unless the client paying a lot of money to make a point, then no problem. But if my fee depends on winning, then, I gotta look at whether the case is winnable. A lot of times, its not so much the merit of the claims, but the legal hurdles one must jump thru in order to win and the first thing would be is to look at the case from the point of view of your opponent and anticipate THEIR arguments.

I, as a long time LHCF member certainly understand the work, time, effort and money that I've personally spent growing my hair healthy!

Well of course, knowing there is a good chance my case would not win, i would be prepared to pay the retainer, and any additional fees, in full. That wouldnt be a problem. If i were to go to this extreme, it would certainly be to make a point and with no other expectations. My boyfriend (an attorney as well) has already had a good laugh (at me) when i told him this plan. Needless to say, i wouldnt be asking THAT chump for representation! LOL!!!

 

[Neroli]

Well of course, knowing there is a good chance my case would not win, i would be prepared to pay the retainer, and any additional fees, in full. That wouldnt be a problem. If i were to go to this extreme, it would certainly be to make a point and with no other expectations. My boyfriend (an attorney as well) has already had a good laugh (at me) when i told him this plan. Needless to say, i wouldnt be asking THAT chump for representation! LOL!!!

 

[la mosca]

I like your analysis, Neroli. Basically, if a plaintiff can show that the hairdresser was negligent, the plaintiff will be eligible for economic damages (such as money spent for treatment of injuries) and non-economic damages (such as mental & emotional suffering and loss of ability to enjoy life's pleasures). In general, the plaintiff will need receipts to prove how much money was spent for treatment for the damaged hair, and she will also need to show that the treatments were reasonable, given the damage. The noneconomic damages are trickier to prove convincingly when it comes to something like hair damage (as opposed to permanent physical damage) but could possibly be proven with the proper evidence. In any event, there probably won't be enough of a recovery to justify hiring a lawyer, but if you had your evidence in order, you could consider taking it to small claims court.

Well, if you wanted to hire me as your attorney with those reasons, wouldn't take the case cuz you'd have the burden of proof as plaintiff and not sure you could prove some of your claims. Soooo, hypothetically, let's take your reasons one at a time:

-Healthy hair. Can you PROVE you've never had healthy hair before? If you can, then you must have a health condition which prevents you from having healthy hair . . . Right there, defendants will be all over that (at least I would if I represented the defendants!) I mean the very FACT that you never had healthy hair would become an argument and issue in and of itself . . .

-Length of hair. While you may be able to PROVE hair lenght by producing evidence (pictures, witnesses, etc.), what have you lost? That is, what measurable DAMAGES have you suffered as a result of the hair cut? I mean, measureable in the sense of $$$.

-Student spending $$. This may be your only viable argument and you could PROVE by producting 2 years worth of receipts as evidence of $$$ spent. Whether this would be enough to collect, will be up to the judge/jury . . .

-AA women and long hair. Ummm, this one, I wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole in a court room! That is soooo loaded and very very difficult to PROVE. For every witness you produce that says they didn't know they could grow hair, defendant will produce 5 that says they did. Indeed, if I represented defendant, I would produce expert witness, all LHCF member, who will dispute your claim.

Wow, that was kinda fun!

Any other legal eagles out there, jump in and trash my arguments. . . .

 

[Neroli]

I like your analysis, Neroli. Basically, if a plaintiff can show that the hairdresser was negligent, the plaintiff will be eligible for economic damages (such as money spent for treatment of injuries) and non-economic damages (such as mental & emotional suffering and loss of ability to enjoy life's pleasures). In general, the plaintiff will need receipts to prove how much money was spent for treatment for the damaged hair, and she will also need to show that the treatments were reasonable, given the damage. The noneconomic damages are trickier to prove convincingly when it comes to something like hair damage (as opposed to permanent physical damage) but could possibly be proven with the proper evidence. In any event, there probably won't be enough of a recovery to justify hiring a lawyer, but if you had your evidence in order, you could consider taking it to small claims court.

Yep, yep, yep. . . .

That is why, IMO, the only place to collect damages may be the one where proof $$$ spent over the years. All the other reasons are kinda non-economic and harder to quantify in a court of law. Now as an LHCF addict for years now I was feeling everthing Fluffy said and I sure do understand the EMOTIONALITY of this hair thang, but the LEGALITY of proving those emotional damages, well . . . .

 

[la mosca]

Yep, yep, yep. . . .

That is why, IMO, the only place to collect damages may be the one where proof $$$ spent over the years. All the other reasons are kinda non-economic and harder to quantify in a court of law. Now as an LHCF addict for years now I was feeling everthing Fluffy said and I sure do understand the EMOTIONALITY of this hair thang, but the LEGALITY of proving those emotional damages, well . . . .

I totally agree. We take our hair more seriously than the average joe blow (and it shows!)

 

[RubyWoo]

I would never sue for a haircut. The hair will grow back. I wouldn't sue for hair damage because, I can always cut my hair and start again. Also, I feel I'm taking a risk with damage by using chemicals in my hair in the first place even if done properly.

I would only sue if my health was compromised in any way. Eg. I suffer blindness or chemical burns due to improper chemical use.