LOS ANGELES – A Koreatown plastic surgery and laser treatment center is suing an influencer for libel and slander regarding her November TikTok video critique of the business, in which she said that employees paid little attention to her when she walked into the lobby and urged viewers to take their patronage elsewhere.
“Horrible, horrible place. There’s so many places in Koreatown, and Wave is definitely on the list to do not go, and they actually treated me the worst than any place I’ve walked into,” defendant Tina Kim said, according to the Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit brought by WAVE Plastic Surgery and Aesthetic Laser Center.
@kdramalogic My Review of walking into Wave Plastic Surgery Center in Koreatown, LA – horrible customer service in person & on phone even after one year they haven’t improved at all – I wouldn’t waste my time w this Wilshire location def go elsewhere #plasticsurgery #faceclinic #koreatownla #review #kdramalogic#CapCut ♬ Crickets in the countryside(1177489) – Deiko
“Do not go to Wave Plastic in Koreatown Los Angeles,” Kim further says, according to the complaint, which seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages. A representative for Kim could not be immediately reached.
According to the suit brought Thursday, WAVE “provides a luxurious environment for patients desiring outstanding outpatient surgery” and the staff and providers “strive to provide cutting-edge and state-of-the-art technology and services for patients in the field of aesthetic and anti-aging plastic surgery.”
WAVE has industry-leading doctors who specialize in many surgical and non-surgical procedures and has offices in Los Angeles, Costa Mesa, Arcadia, Rowland Heights and San Francisco, according to the suit, which further states that Kim has more than 86,000 TikTok followers and 4.5 million combined likes on all her TikTok posts.
The video at issue was posted Nov. 7 by Kim through her public account, @kdramalogic, and is tiled “My review of walking into Wave Plastic Surgery Center in Koreatown L.A.” the suit states.
“I walked in, I walked towards the reception, none of them greeted me,” Kim says. “Nothing. Nothing. I walked back up towards the reception area and there (are) three girls there. One is like on the phone. The other one is kinda just talking, and I’m just standing there, and you would think one of the three girls would go, `Oh, hey, so can I help you, do you have an questions?’ Nothing, nothing.”
When Kim left the business, she made a disparaging remark to the front desk employees, made a thumbs-down gesture and identified herself as an influencer, the suit states.
New customer sign ups have dropped sharply at WAVE since the Kim video’s posting, according to the suit, which further alleges Kim intentionally published the video and its false statements with the malicious intent to drive business and customers away from WAVE and toward the plaintiff’s competitors.
