Talk about wigging out.

A young Orthodox couple took their grievance to television’s “People’s Court” after a dry cleaner allegedly washed — and ruined — the woman’s $3,000 human-hair wig, the blog FailedMessiah reported. But if “Heidi and Mendi” were as shocked as they claimed when the sheitel came back looking mangy, they must have been even more aghast at Judge Marilyn Milian’s verdict.

In what Orthodox blog HaEmtza called “a nightmarish Chilul Hashem” — desecration of God’s name — the couple was exposed as liars after some detective work by Judge Milian. “Heidi and Mendi” claimed they’d bought the wig for $3000 from Georgie, whose web site bills it as “the World’s largest manufacturer of Mono-filament, European, Human Hair, Blends, & Synthetic Wigs & Falls for women.” The couple presented a Georgie invoice for $3,000. But the suspicious judge phoned the wigmaker during a recess — and found out they don’t even stock the wig at the center of the case. And the real $3,000 perruque? “You are passing this excellent wig on your head, that costs $3,000, as the receipt for the wig that you want to be recompensed for here,” said Judge Milian, pulling out the invoice with a flourish.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Mendi’s sullen comment to a post-court interviewer, before the couple skulked off: “Georgie’s out of town, so we don’t know how [Milian} spoke to her.” The dry cleaners, Jose and Mildred Geraldo, were more sanguine. “The judge is a smart woman, and she saw through them,” a beaming Mildred Geraldo said.

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$90 $180

$360

Other amount