Skiermont Derby Limits Sally Beauty Trial Exposure to $5,000 After $10.4 Million Demand

In December 2025, Skiermont Derby went to trial in Dallas County, Texas, in Cheri Broussard v. Sally Beauty, representing defendant Sally Beauty, the national beauty products chain with thousands of stores.

The plaintiff, a former model, had contracted with Sally Beauty in 2015 to permit the company to use her image in a nationwide in-store advertising campaign. The right to use her image expired in June 2020, but her image remained up past June 2020 in some stores. In November 2021, Broussard sued in California, alleging misappropriation of her image and likeness.

Skiermont Derby successfully had the case transferred to Texas, where the plaintiff had relocated years earlier and where Sally Beauty is headquartered. After more than four years of litigation, the case proceeded to a five-day jury trial in December 2025.

Before the case was submitted to the jury, Skiermont Derby obtained a directed verdict that prevented the plaintiff from seeking future compensation for the use of her image and likeness (as there was no evidence of any continuing use) or punitive damages. The plaintiff asked the jury to award $10.4 million. In under 50 minutes, the jury returned a verdict of just $5,000.