Suing Your Hairdresser
By Amy E. Feldman
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Anyone who's ever walked out of a salon in horror after a bad haircut wants to know: can you sue your hairdresser for making you look ridiculous?
A woman in Oregon was going for a Marilyn Monroe color but after getting the dye job, her hair began breaking off in clumps. She sued the salon for $50,000.
As the Lake Oswego woman found out, you can sue your hairdresser, but you're not likely to win. You need to show that the hairdresser was negligent, and just because the picture in your mind doesn't match the hair on your head doesn't necessarily mean there was negligence involved.
Even if negligent, you also have to prove causation, as the Lake Oswego porcupine found, a jury believed the breakage was the result of years of over-processing, not one bad dye job. But even if a jury of your peers would agree that you look awful, and that your hairdresser was negligent and caused it, you still need to prove monetary damages.
The fact is, a bad haircut grows out. If the chemicals used burned you or led to permanent injuries, you'd have a better chance of winning a claim - but a far worse outcome than a one-time cut that will eventually grow out.
The good news is that a salon will usually refund your money or agree to restyle your hair if you ask; also, I hear straw hats are all the rage this summer.
