Sabrina Jales St. Pierre bed bug trauma: Should a Palm Desert hotel be held liable for the ‘trauma’ of a Victoria’s Secret model losing gigs after being bitten during her stay?
A Victoria’s Secret model has filed a lawsuit against a California hotel after alleging a 2016 stay led to her being ‘massacred’ by bed bugs.
In her complaint, the Desert Sun cited Sabrina Jales St. Pierre claiming her stay at the Palm Desert Embassy Suites left her with beg bites that negatively impacted her modeling career.
The Brazilian swimsuit model who has worked for Tommy Hilfiger, Ralph Lauren and Valentino — sued the Palm Desert hotel for monetary and punitive damages.
Her attorney, Brian Virag, said his client encountered the bed bugs on the first night of her stay at the Hilton-owned hotel, and ‘eventually she was massacred by bites covering pretty much her entire body.’
Adding, ‘Like most victims of bed bugs, Sabrina also had nightmares about the experience, and she still experiences psychological trauma and fear of bed bugs today,’
‘This was especially traumatic for Sabrina because her body is her work, so this severely affected her work and her career.’
The lawsuit filed in Riverside County Superior Court claimed the swimsuit model suffered a severe reaction from the bites that required ‘extended treatment.’
Her modeling gigs were allegedly also impacted since she was ’embarrassed, ashamed and humiliated’ over the bug bites, according to her lawyer.
Hotel general manager Carlos Mendoza has since denied the hotel failing to take proper precautions for pest control.
“The comfort and health and safety of our guests is most important,’ Mendoza said via the Desert Sun. ‘Our experience with bed bugs though is that people travel with them and bring them to hotels. Once they are in our rooms, we take corrective actions.’
And then sometimes life happens and bed bugs have a mind and a run of their own too….
