Retired Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher has sued a Florida hair restoration company he alleges has used his name and image without his permission. He seeks at least $200,000 in damages.
The story was first reported by the Chicago Sun-Times.
Urlacher surprised fans in January 2016 when the formerly bald Bear showed off a full head of hair during a media blitz that included several TV appearances. Oak Brook-based Restore by Katona performed the transplant after reaching an endorsement agreement with Urlacher in 2014.
The two-count suit, filed in Cook County Court, alleges that Boca Raton, Fla., hair transplant surgeon Dr. Glenn Charles and his Charles Medical Group "have attempted to illegally steal and cash in on this success" by using Urlacher's name and likeness in its own advertising and marketing without asking for his permission.
In one example, the suit contains a blog post written by Charles dated Jan. 11, 2016. "The growing popularity of Follicular Unit Extraction, also known as FUE hair transplant, reached new heights recently when former All-Pro NFL linebacker Brian Urlacher revealed how he came be his full head of hair."
On Tuesday, the post did not appear on the company's website.
RestoreBrian Urlacher shows his hair (pictured here in December 2015) after having a hair transplant procedure by Oak Brook-based Restore by Katona in November 2014.
Brian Urlacher shows his hair (pictured here in December 2015) after having a hair transplant procedure by Oak Brook-based Restore by Katona in November 2014.
(Restore)Urlacher also accuses Charles Medical Group of embedding "source code" with his name to intercept customers searching for hair restoration information online, as well as marketing to Illinois residents and using testimonials from Chicago-area clients.
"Defendant's advertisements, which use Urlacher's identity through the use of his name and hair restoration story, with links to images of his likeness before and after hair restoration to promote the sale of their products and services, is likely to confuse consumers as to Urlacher's sponsorship or approval of those products."
Urlacher's attorney had not responded to a request for comment. Charles was in surgery Tuesday morning and was not immediately available for comment, a company spokeswoman said.
plthompson@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @_phil_thompson
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