The hairstylist who went viral for dragging a 15-year-old girl across her salon floor has been charged with assault. The video of 18-year-old hairstylist Jayla Cunningham ignited global outrage over how she handled a situation with a customer who did not pay for the services she received.
Cunningham’s attorney, Samuel Elira, expressed that the video only showed part of what happened. The hairstylist claims that the 15-year-old girl got a hairstyle that took her four hours to complete. Cunningham charged $150 for the service, and she said the girl tried to run out of the salon without paying.
Elira said the video looks “concerning” to “the untrained eye” and emphasised an important factor that people need to understand. “The law requires proof of intention or offensive harmful contact,” Elira added.
The attorney pointed out that Cunningham is an 18-year-old business owner, and what she did in the video showed her “protecting her business interest.”
According to 7News, the incident affected the 15-year-old physically and psychologically. The child’s attorney, De’aja Thompson, expressed she was appalled by the video. She denied that her client tried to leave without paying. “What I can say is there was a misunderstanding. The stylist was paid, and we are refuting that contention,” Thompson told 7News.
Attorney Elira also said that they do not have the full video of the girl getting her hair done by Cunningham nor her running away afterwards. The footage was captured from a security camera inside the salon. Elira insists that the services were never paid for.
Thompson stated that situations like these are traumatising, especially for a minor. She added that her client has been facing criticism from people who did not know the complete story. Aside from the surveillance footage, another video was taken seemingly by Cunningham.
The video involved her confronting the girl about trying to leave and giving her an ultimatum: either pay for the service or allow her to remove the hair. It is alleged that Cunningham eventually cut out the weave from the girl’s hair. Cunningham is set to appear in court on April 18.
