Can I be sued for hair damage?

by Trina
(Philadelphia, PA)

I have been doing hair for 5 years. I now have a client in Pennsylvania who wants to sue me for his hair loss.

I relaxed his hair with the same relaxer that I have been using on him for years and then put semi permanent color on as usual. His hair broke off on the top where I applied it. What do I do as I have offered to condition and style his hair for free for 2 months, but he wants more?

Disclaimer: Information provided in your response is not formal legal advice, it is generic legal information and is based on the very limited information given in your question. You should always get a formal case evaluation from a licensed attorney.

ANSWER for "Can I be sued for hair damage?":

Trina:

The best advice is to politely ignore him. STOP offering him any more free service and product. The more you give him the more he is going to want. When people are upset the first thing many of them do is say they are going to sue somebody – or everybody!

For him to be successful suing you for any large amount he would most likely have to hire an attorney. Lawyers can cost thousands of dollars. From the facts it is highly unlikely any lawyer would take this case either on an hourly fee basis or on a contingency basis (contingency means the lawyer only gets paid if he wins the case).

Whether he decides to sue you in Small Claims Court or any other court the law says he has the burden to prove to a judge or jury by a "Preponderance of Evidence" that your actions caused him to lose his hair. In other words he will have to bring some sort of scientific proof and convince the court that is specifically what caused his hair loss.

Without scientific proof it is doubtful he would win the case solely on his opinion. Using pictures, or by bringing witnesses will only serve to annoy the judge. And when the judge finds out this fellow’s hair will grow back just like everyone else’s, well lets just say you wouldn’t want to be your client at that moment!

Since laws change frequently and across jurisdictions you should get a personalized case evaluation from an attorney licensed in your state (if you haven't already). Find an experienced local attorney to give you a FREE personalized case review here.

Best of luck,

Law Guy

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