A dead mouse sewn into her dress is now in the middle of a Manhattan woman's lawsuit against retailer Zara for causing her “significant personal injuries and emotional distress.”
Cailey Fiesel, 24, found the mouse sewn into her $40 dress purchased from Zara while wearing it back in August, the New York Post reported.
“I froze – I was paralyzed with fear,” Fiesel said, recounting the moment when she realized something was in the seam of her dress, per the Huffington Post. “I was in complete shock. My eyes saw that it was a mouse but my brain told myself it can’t be.”
The Colgate University graduate is suing Zara, blaming the retailer for a “rodent-borne disease” that she was diagnosed with after discovering a bad rash on her body, said the New York Post.
The lawsuit also claims that the company failed to inspect the dress for defects, “including infestation with rodents.”
Fiesel hopes to receive a “sum that will fairly and adequately compensate her for the damages and injuries she has suffered,” the Huffington Post noted.
Teddy Sadaka, the owner of Apparel Production Inc., believes the mouse was sewn into the dress intentionally by an upset worker, perhaps.
“I’m thinking it had to be done intentionally,” Sadaka said. “It looks like a prank from a worker being paid a couple of cents and saying, ‘Take that, America! It’s too crazy. I really can’t imagine a mouse that would run around those loud sewing machines.”
Dunya Mielens, a shopper at the Zara on Fifth Avenue, was scared the same thing could happen to her.
“Ewww. That’s gross,” she said. “I would scream so loud.”
Zara released a statement stating that it stands by its products, according to TMZ.
“Zara USA is aware of the suit, and we are investigating the matter further. Zara USA has stringent health and safety standards, and we are committed to ensuring that all of our products meet these rigorous requirements.”