A 24-year-old woman from Manhattan is suing the Spanish fashion retailer Zara after allegedly discovering a dead rat sewn into a dress that she bought at one of their stores.
In the lawsuit filed last week in Manhattan Supreme Court, Cailey Fiesel says she was diagnosed with a rodent-born disease and suffered emotional distress after wearing a dress with a rat sewn into the hem. She reportedly bought the dress in July at at Zara’s Greenwich, Connecticut but didn’t wear the offending garment until mid-August.
The court documents outline Fiesel’s account of her gruesome discovery. Upon wearing the “off-the-rack” dress for the first time, she noticed a “disturbingly pungent odor” but was unable to identify where the origin of the smell. Throughout the day, she said she noticed a loose string from the dress rubbing against her leg. She put the “string” out of her mind until reaching down to make her stomach-turning discovery.
Court documents state:
“To her utter shock and disbelief, as she ran her hand over the hem of the dress she felt an unusual bulge and suddenly realized that it was not a string that was rubbing against her leg but was instead a leg rubbing against her leg. The leg of a dead rodent that is,”
In a statement to NBC 4 New York, a spokesperson for Zara USA said that they were aware of the allegation and are investigating the matter.
“The brand has stringent quality controls and health and safety standards worldwide that are followed and met in manufacturing, including stitching and pressing, […] We are committed to ensuring that all of our products meet these rigorous requirements.”
Featured image source [NBC 4 New York]