Man Sues Over Misspelled Tattoo

ROSEVILLE, Mich. - A man who used guesswork instead of a dictionary when getting a tattoo is now suing the tattoo parlor over the mistaken spelling of "villain."

Lee Williams was left with "villian" on his right forearm, but he didn't notice until a friend made fun of him, according to the Circuit Court lawsuit filed yesterday.

Williams, 23, is seeking $25,000 from Eternal Tattoos. To cover the mistake, he had plastic surgery, which cost him $1,900 and left a scar, said his lawyer, Paul Clark.

Williams got the tattoo in 1996. Before the procedure, workers at the parlor debated how to spell the word, Clark said. Williams wasn't sure, either, and they settled on "villian."

Eternal Tattoos' owner, Terry Welker, said the parlor asks customers how they want words spelled. He said if a customer agrees to a misspelling, "that falls back on them, not the artist."