{"id":81685,"date":"2023-11-17T10:41:17","date_gmt":"2023-11-17T10:41:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/posterboyedit.com\/?p=81685"},"modified":"2023-11-17T10:41:17","modified_gmt":"2023-11-17T10:41:17","slug":"fur-flies-in-the-high-court-as-dog-groomer-sues-ex-business-partner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/posterboyedit.com\/world-news\/fur-flies-in-the-high-court-as-dog-groomer-sues-ex-business-partner\/","title":{"rendered":"Fur flies in the High Court as dog groomer sues ex-business partner"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1>Dog groomer sues her former business partner for \u00a350,000 in the High Court claiming she stole her firm&#8217;s name and carried out vicious online smear campaign against her\u00a0<\/h1>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Dog groomer Laura Thurgood, of Tamworth, is suing her rival Danielle Laight, 28<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>A turf war between two rival dog beauticians has led to a \u00a350,000 High Court battle and allegations of a &#8216;vicious&#8217; online smear campaign.<\/p>\n<p>Dog groomer Laura Thurgood is suing her former business partner Danielle Laight, 28, over rights to use the name &#8216;Wash Wiggle and Wag&#8217; as well as claims she has been libelled in a series of texts and social media posts.<\/p>\n<p>Ms Thurgood, of Warton, Tamworth, who runs her pooch-valeting service in the West Midlands, says she stopped working with Ms Laight in 2020 and claims the latter then smeared her on social media.<\/p>\n<p>Ms Laight allegedly wrote that Ms Thurgood&#8217;s grooming had &#8216;resulted in a number of dogs being injured&#8217; and owners &#8216;incurring large bills from vets&#8217;.<\/p>\n<p>Now, Ms Thurgood is seeking an order banning Ms Laight from running her rival business in the same area under the &#8216;Wash Wiggle and Wag&#8217; banner, plus libel damages of up to \u00a350,000.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/11\/17\/09\/77921663-12761209-image-a-1_1700212039452.jpg\" height=\"636\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Dog groomer Laura Thurgood (pictured) claims she acquired the &#8216;Wash, Wiggle and Wag&#8217; banner in 2018, while rival Danielle Laight insists she holds the rights to the name<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/11\/17\/09\/77921665-12761209-image-m-3_1700212577771.jpg\" height=\"784\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Ms Thurgood says she worked with Danielle Laight (pictured), 28, from 2018 to 2020. After the two ended their business relationship, she claims Laight smeared her on social media<\/p>\n<p>But Ms Laight is defending the case, insisting the rights to the name are hers and arguing her claims are &#8216;substantially true&#8217;.<\/p>\n<h3>READ MORE: WOMAN DEMANDS DOG GROOMER &#8216;GETS CONSENT&#8217; FROM HER PET BEFORE TRIMMING FUR<\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/11\/17\/09\/66134007-12761209-The_dog_lover_Susan_said_she_would_only_let_the_groomer_give_her-a-25_1700213878989.jpg\" height=\"204\" width=\"274\"><\/p>\n<p>In court documents lodged with London&#8217;s High Court, Ms Thurgood&#8217;s barrister Ian Silock says that she set up her business in 2018 and claims she acquired the &#8216;Wash Wiggle and Wag&#8217; trademark.<\/p>\n<p>She ran her mobile grooming salon from the back of a van, operating in a 30-mile radius covering south Birmingham, Solihull and Redditch.<\/p>\n<p>In June 2018, she and other family members teamed up with pet groomer Ms Laight to help grow the enterprise, using her as a contractor.<\/p>\n<p>Ms Thurgood claims her business began to take off over the next two years pulling in over 700 clients &#8211; with Ms Laight carrying out around 2,600 grooming sessions.<\/p>\n<p>But in May 2020, the two women&#8217;s working relationship fell apart and Ms Laight left a letter terminating the partnership in Ms Thurgood&#8217;s van.<\/p>\n<p>Mr Silock alleged Ms Laight has carried on her canine trade around Redditch while falsely implying that Ms Thurgood was the one using the name &#8216;Wash Wiggle &amp; Wag&#8217; under false pretences.<\/p>\n<p>She had sent texts to some of Ms Thurgood&#8217;s customers blackening her reputation, alleged Mr Silock, with the texts stating: &#8216;After receiving calls from customers it seems the van I was previously using is back in action and covering Solihull areas with a &#8220;new groomer&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;The owners Robert, Jim and Laura Thurgood are pretending I am turning up for grooms, then leaving customers no choice with a new groomer on their doorstep.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/11\/17\/09\/77921667-12761209-Ms_Laight_pictured_denies_smearing_Ms_Thurgood_and_says_her_post-m-5_1700212771821.jpg\" height=\"950\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Ms Laight (pictured) denies smearing Ms Thurgood and says her posts on social media are &#8216;substantially true&#8217;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/11\/17\/09\/77922661-12761209-Ms_Laight_claims_she_registered_the_name_Wash_Wiggle_Wag_in_good-a-7_1700213257657.jpg\" height=\"788\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Ms Laight says she registered the name &#8216;Wash Wiggle &amp; Wag&#8217; in good faith as her own trade name four years ago<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/11\/17\/09\/77922663-12761209-Ms_Thurgood_of_Warton_Tamworth_now_seeks_50_000_compensation_for-m-9_1700213300610.jpg\" height=\"1117\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Ms Thurgood, of Warton, Tamworth, now seeks \u00a350,000 compensation for her tarnished reputation plus a judge&#8217;s ruling on the disputed trade name<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;As a result of this I have had injured dogs owners on the phone with large vets&#8217; bills now needing to be paid. THIS IS NOT ME AND I NO LONGER WORK WITH THEM!<\/p>\n<h3>READ MORE: HAVING A BAD FUR DAY! PET OWNERS SHARE HILARIOUS SNAPS OF GROOMING GONE WRONG\u00a0<\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/11\/17\/09\/73886063-12761209-One_cat_has_had_its_hair_completely_shaved_and_does_not_look_ple-a-26_1700214092189.jpg\" height=\"268\" width=\"274\"><\/p>\n<p>&#8216;PLEASE only use my number and my name if you are wanting to book with me. I will be making sure my name &#8220;Wash Wiggle &amp; Wag&#8221; is no longer used by them.&#8217;<\/p>\n<p>Ms Thurgood now seeks \u00a350,000 compensation for her tarnished reputation plus a judge&#8217;s ruling on the disputed trade name.<\/p>\n<p>The alleged smears led to a dramatic dip in business, said Mr Silcock, with some 40 client bookings being cancelled.<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;As a result of the publications Ms Thurgood has suffered and is continuing to suffer significant stress, anxiety, upset, embarrassment, and humiliation,&#8217; he added.<\/p>\n<p>Ms Laight denies libel and insists Ms Thurgood has carried on her grooming business not under the &#8216;Wash Wiggle and Wag&#8217; tag, but using the names &#8216;Doggy Style&#8217; and &#8216;Scruffy2Fluffy&#8217;.<\/p>\n<p>She claims she registered the name &#8216;Wash Wiggle &amp; Wag&#8217; in good faith as her own trade name four years ago.<\/p>\n<p>In her defence, Ms Laight says the disputed text messages to customers were &#8216;substantially true&#8217;, claiming to have received messages from several customers complaining about receiving visits from Ms Thurgood&#8217;s groomers when they had expected to see her instead.<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;The customers complained about the treatment provided and that their dogs were injured as a result,&#8217; stated her barrister, Robert Whittock.<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;One particular complaint concerned a dog called Archie which had required a trip to the vet and incurred a significant vet bill.&#8217;<\/p>\n<p>Countering that claim, Ms Thurgood&#8217;s barrister said no dog had ever been injured under her care, but added: &#8216;The claimant accepts that one of the dogs groomed by, for or on behalf of her business suffered a minor allergic reaction and\/or minor skin irritation as a result of its grooming session, but it was not injured, and it did not require significant veterinary treatment or expenditure as a result.&#8217;<\/p>\n<p>Ms Thurgood is suing both Ms Laight and her company, Wash Wiggle &amp; Wag Ltd.<\/p>\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/news\/article-12761209\/high-court-dog-groomer-sues-former-business-partner-50k-stole-firm-online-smear-campaign.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read Full Article<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Dog groomer sues her former business partner for \u00a350,000 in the High Court claiming she stole her firm&#8217;s name and carried out vicious online smear campaign against her\u00a0 Dog groomer Laura Thurgood, of Tamworth, is suing her rival Danielle Laight, 28 A turf war between two rival dog beauticians has led to a \u00a350,000 High&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.8 - 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