Dye Job At VA J.C. Penney Left Woman With Hair Loss, Burns: Suit

CHESAPEAKE, VA — A Virginia woman is suing J.C. Penney for $4.5 million, along with legal costs and prejudgement interest, alleging that she suffered hair loss and scalp burns after after getting her hair colored at the store's salon in Chesapeake.

The lawsuit claims a salon employee improperly used a bleaching agent on Giselle Steinhausen's hair and left it there for "an extended period of time." The same salon employee and others then "administered additional hair treatment" to correct the damage, the lawsuit says.

According to court documents, Steinhausen went to the Chesapeake J.C. Penney Salon on Aug. 17, 2017 to get her hair colored.

In addition to the hair loss and burns to her scalp, the suit says Steinhausen suffered "great pain of mind and body," severe and permanent emotional distress, physical manifestations of emotional distress, embarrassment, loss of self-esteem, humiliation and psychological injuries.

Steinhausen's attorney, Kevin Sharp, told The Virginian Pilot that Steinhausen will need hair transplants to cover the bald patches.

"This has been extremely traumatic for her," Sharp told The Pilot. "She's going to have to deal with this for a long long time."

The suit claims J.C. Penney knew or should have known:

• The employees did not know how to perform the hair color treatment in question.
• The employees did not know how to perform the hair treatment when they were hired.
• The employees were not properly trained to perform hair care services.
• The employee "negligently" used a bleaching agent in Steinhausen's hair.

J.C. Penney's conduct constitutes "gross negligence" and justifies the award of punitive and/or exemplary damages, the suit says. The suit says J.C. Penney knew or should have known that these employees were unfit and presented an unreasonable risk of harm to others.

J.C. Penney denied the allegations made in the lawsuit and moved to dismiss the case, according to court documents.

The suit was originally filed in the Chesapeake Circuit Court and was moved to the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia in August.

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