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Woman sues retailer over ratty outfit

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Woman sues retailer over ratty outfit

A Manhattan woman is suing the Spanish retailer Zara after she discovered that a rat’s paw had been sewn into her dress. 

Cailey Fiesel, 24, told the New York Post that she bought the black dress on sale over the summer and got more than she bargained for when she noticed a rancid smell coming from the dress while wearing it to work. Then she felt something poke her leg. Upon inspection, it was the unthinkable.

“I saw the little leg that was coming out of the seam that I had touched, which was really horrifying” she told the Post. “I froze — I was paralyzed with fear.” 

According to the Post, she purchased the dress for $40 from a Zara location in Greenwich, Connecticut, in July.

“Despite getting up from her desk and walking around, she was unable to escape the odor,” according to her Manhattan Supreme Court suit, filed Monday. 

She is claiming emotional distress from the incident and that she developed a large rash that was diagnosed as a “rodent-borne disease,” according to the suit.

She’s suing for unspecified damages, saying the retailer owed her a “duty of care” to manufacture dresses that were “free from defects, including rodent infestations,” according to the suit.

A spokesman for Zara USA told the Post the company “is aware of the suit and we are investigating the matter further.”

According to the label, the dress was made in Turkey.