gucci eyeliner lawsuit

Toronto woman suing Gucci and Saks for $2.25M over eyeliner mishap

A 54-year-old Toronto realtor who says she no longer has eyelashes is reportedly suing both the fashion brand Gucci and retailer Saks Fifth Avenue for the "uninvited application of an eyeliner" she received in 2016.

Tracey Dunn was shopping at the flagship Saks store in New York City with her family three summers ago when she says that someone working for Gucci approached and "coerced her" into letting him apply some makeup.

A lawsuit filed with a New York County court office on Monday and reported on by the Daily Mail states that the makeup artist, John Bautista, "forcefully and vigorously" applied black eyeliner to Dunn's face.

Dunn alleges that Bautista did not clean the eyeliner pencil nor sharpen it before applying it to the inside and outside of her eyelids. She also claims that he wouldn't stop when she asked him to.

The lawsuit states that Dunn was so "traumatized" by the incident that she cancelled a birthday dinner and flew back to Canada with her family on August 1 of 2016.

She claims to have been experiencing chronic redness, blurred vision and severe pain ever since.

The realtor is seeking $2.25 million in damages related to her pain and suffering, as well as compensation for court costs and lawyers fees, on the grounds that the Saks employee did not obtain informed consent. 

"Her physical appearance has been disfigured as she has no eyelashes," reads the lawsuit, which notes that she cannot wear fake eyelashes due to irritation caused by the glue.

"She does not attend the social and cultural events and galas, all of which had been a regular part of her normal activities," reads another portion of the lawsuit, which also states that Dunn suffers "continuous emotional and mental distress."

Dunn's lawsuit also claims that the realtor can no longer work, as she is "unable to perform her duties, which are essential for her income from her real estate brokerage business" and that "her self-esteem has been dramatically altered."

Lead photo by

Phillip Pessar


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