A civil lawsuit filed by Wave Plastic Surgery and Aesthetic Laser Center in LA Koreatown against a Korean-American influencer who made negative comments about the practice on social media has been dismissed.
On April 17, Judge Maureen Duffy-Lewis of the Los Angeles County Superior Court dismissed the lawsuit filed by Wave Plastic Surgery last December against Korean-American influencer Tina Kim, alleging defamation and slander. She cited “freedom of expression” as the reason for the dismissal.
In granting Kim’s request to dismiss the case, Judge Lewis said that Kim’s comments were personal and that a business like Wave cannot be a plaintiff in a lawsuit for invasion of privacy.
Kim posted a 3-minute, 16-second video on TikTok last November, claiming, “Never go to Wave Plastic Surgery. Wave is one of the places you shouldn’t go. Horrible customer service in person and on the phone,” she said. The video currently has more than 203,000 views.
Wave filed a lawsuit at the time, claiming that Kim made derogatory remarks and hand gestures to the staff as she left the clinic, and that “Defendant spread malicious intent and falsehoods about the clinic through the video, resulting in a sharp drop in customers.
BY SUAH JANG, HOONSIK WOO [jang.suah@koreadaily.com]
