Tolstoy once wrote, “Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” Those words ring particularly true when examining this familial drama, which involves a man, his father-in-law, a menacing toupée, a restraining order, a funeral, and, crucially, the Tasmanian Devil from Looney Tunes.
The New York Post brings us the story of the contentious relationship between 32-year-old Staten Island man Mazen Dayem and his father-in-law, 62-year-old “supermarket mogul” Yunes Doleh. They’ve reportedly been fighting since 2013 and, in early fall, Dayem took out a restraining order against Doleh after accusing his father-in-law of kicking his SUV in a restaurant parking lot. Doleh then sued his son-in-law for defamation when pictures from the alleged incident appeared online.
Then things heated up considerably between the two of them. Dayem says that during a November 5 funeral in Brooklyn, his father-in-law took off his toupée and shook it at him, causing severe emotional distress. How, exactly? Dayem claims that Doleh’s hairpiece looks like the Tasmanian Devil, a character he’s long been afraid of.
“He walked in as I was already there. He removed his wig, made hand gestures,” Dayem explained to the Post. “It’s just a very large fear of mine, his damn wig. Him and his hair reminds me of the Tasmanian Devil hair. I truly and genuinely have a large fear of wigs now. It’s a genuine fear. I have nightmares.”
Here’s how the court papers explain the incident: Doleh “stood in [Dayem’s] direct line of sight and proceeded to grimace, snarl, gurn and gesticulate, which was made all the more menacing by the forward rake of [the father-in-law’s] toupee.”
Doleh was arrested for violating the restraining order and charged with criminal mischief.
Whoever the long-suffering wife and daughter in this situation is has yet to comment publicly, for obvious reasons.
