by Reposted from Supreme Court of Tennessee Blog, Nashville, Tennessee — The Tennessee Board of Cosmetology and Barber
Examiners has officially withdrawn its threatened enforcement action
against on-demand beauty services provider Project Belle,
greenlighting the company’s business practices and enabling its
continued growth throughout the State of Tennessee. The Board’s decision
to back down comes after intense media coverage from local, state and
national media outlets including Forbes, Yahoo, Reason, the Nashville Business Journal, the Beacon Center of Tennessee, and the Memphis Commercial Appeal.
The Board had claimed that the Tennessee Cosmetology Act of 1986
prohibited Belle from facilitating the purchase of beauty services in
the privacy of a customer’s home. Accordingly, the Board demanded that
Belle pay a civil fine, waive its right to judicial review, and cease
and desist from operating. Instead, Belle lawyered up and formally contested
the Board’s allegations, causing it to reconsider its threatened
enforcement action. The Board’s decision to permanently withdraw its
complaint soon followed.
“We are extremely pleased that the Board of Cosmetology has withdrawn
its unlawful and overzealous threats against Project Belle, whose only
crime has ever been to provide eager customers with convenient, premium
quality beauty services at competitive prices in the privacy of their
own homes,” said Daniel Horwitz, Belle’s attorney. “No government agency
should be in the business of preventing popular, innovative businesses
from serving willing customers just to protect entrenched industry
competitors from competition. We look forward to working with the
General Assembly in the coming months to make clear that the Board lacks
the authority to deprive healthy, able-bodied consumers of their right
to purchase their desired beauty services whenever and wherever they
please.”
“The Board has decided to dismiss its complaint and Belle will
continue its operations and growth efforts in Nashville,” said Armand
Lauzon, Belle’s founder and CEO, who recently penned an op ed in The Tennessean
calling on legislators to repeal Tennessee’s outdated cosmetology
regulations. “We are delighted by the Board’s decision. It means that
beauty professionals who have built businesses with us can continue
their success, and our clients can continue enjoying services that many
of them desperately need. It also means that economic growth and
innovation can continue expanding in Tennessee. We are proud to have
helped pave the way on this important issue.”
“I also want to send a special thanks to the legislators who took
time to voice their support on our behalf, including State
Representative John Ray Clemmons, State Senator Steven Dickerson, and
State Senator Mark Green,” added Lauzon.
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