Newcombes Ink Tattoo sued for negligence refused to pay

Marie Huckle wanted to get a lasting tribute to a recently deceased friend, and decided to tattoo a phrase that held special meaning, signalling they would one day meet again.

Instead, the tattoo artist left out a letter, and client Marie Huckle ended up with “See You at the Cossroads” on her ribcage.

“This had been a traumatic experience, and it’s embarrassing … I just don’t want it any more,” said Ms. Marie Huckle, 23, who has spent many painful hours under a laser trying to erase the botched memorial.

A Nova Scotia small claims court has sided with the Dartmouth, N.S., woman, Marie Huckle and ordered Newcombe’s Ink Tattoo Parlour to pay her nearly $9,000.

Marie Huckle says the tattoo removal process is “100 times more painful than getting the tattoo itself.”

Ms. Marie Huckle has already had eight tattoo-removal sessions, paid for by Newcombe’s Ink, but may need 15 more. The $8,992 settlement, handed down by adjudicator Eric K. Slone was necessary to cover the additional sessions, medical supplies, travel and legal costs, and general damages.

“There is a high duty upon a tattoo artist to double check that everything is precisely as it ought to be before putting a needle to someone’s skin and potentially making permanent something that the person would not want on their skin… A spelling mistake is clearly a breach of that duty of care,” he wrote in his decision.

On Dec. 17, 2010, Ms. Marie Huckle walked into Newcombe’s Ink on Sackville Street downtown Halifax with a clearly readable printout of “See You at the Crossroads” in a gothic font. She and tattoo artist Helena Pelletier found a similar font on the office computer.

Ms. Marie Huckle confirmed the spelling on the screen and the paper template were correct, but the template was too big. thereafter, Tattooist Ms. Helena Pelletier produced a smaller version, removing the "R" and placed it on Ms. Marie Huckle’s ribcage. Tattooist Ms. Helena Pelletier then asked client Ms. Marie Huckle to look in the mirror to check.

“It was backwards,” said Ms. Marie Huckle. “And I had already checked the spelling, so I was looking at the placement of it, the size of it, the font, making sure everything was OK.”

Ms. Marie Huckle didn’t notice the missing "R" until she got home. She immediately contacted and spoke to Newcombe’s Ink Tattoos Parlor co-owner Adam Spencer.

“He was very co-operative, and said, ‘No problem. We’ll do whatever it takes’,” Ms. Marie Huckle said.

She refused the offer of a cover-up tattoo. He refunded the cost of the tattoo and contacted a tattoo-removal technician. But after eight sessions, during which only “The Cossroads” was removed, HE STOPPED RETURNING HER CALLS, Ms. Marie Huckle said.

That’s when she took her case to small claims court.

There is a high duty upon a tattoo artist to double check that everything is precisely as it ought to be before putting a needle to someone’s skin

There, (in the Court Room) Ms. Marie Huckle said, she learned that Ms. Helena Pelletier had traced each template, by hand, off of the computer screen, because Newcombe's Ink Tattoo Parlor printer was broken.

Ms. Marie Huckle said she’s satisfied with the ruling, and is waiting for the money to finish the removal process, which is “100 times more painful than getting the tattoo itself.”