The Chicago Daily Herald reported on a truly surreal lawsuit filed by a Libertyville woman who claims the attachment hose on her Kirby vacuum cleaner sucked the hair right off her scalp last August. At least she knows the machine isn't lacking for power, but according to her complaint it sounds like the ordeal must have really sucked.
Plaintiff Terry Washburn Gattone was cleaning the carpet under her bed when the appliance broke, Illinois injury lawyer Thomas A. Reed told reporters. He said the attachment tube broke apart before causing injury to his client:
"As soon as it did, there was a tremendous sucking that took her hair right into the machine. Her hair was ripped right out by the roots."
He filed a federal suit against Kirby Co. on behalf of his client in the US District Court Northern District and is seeking more than $100,000 in damages. The product was "defective and negligent in design," according to the complaint.
Neither party commented to reporters but Terry Washburn Gattone referred all questions to her lawyer. She was rushed to the emergency room after the hair-sucking incident but no further details about her injuries or recovery were disclosed.
The Chicago Sun-Times reported that the suit was filed in Cook County Circuit Court, not the federal court cited by the Daily Herald, and that she is suing Kirby for more than $200,000 (instead of $100,000) for injuries caused by the company's alleged negligence. The Sun-Times said the incident caused "serious personal injuries" but provided no further details.
This wouldn't be the first time Kirby has been on the receiving end of a lawsuit, according to a Consumer Affairs article about a 2004 Arizona lawsuit. But the earlier legal action was related to the conduct of its door-to-door sales staff, who allegedly violated the Arizona Consumer Fraud Act.
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