Foot Spa Infection Victims Settle Lawsuit

Friday, March 11 2005

It’s been more than four years, but the victims haven’t quite been able to forget what happened to them. They still have scars on their shins and lower legs, reminders of the bacteria they were infected with after getting pedicures at Fancy Nails, a salon in Watsonville, Calif., that has since closed. Although it may not get rid of the unsightly scars, 73 people will split about $3 million after settling a lawsuit with the salon.

The settlement was announced between Tuan Ngo, owner of Fancy Nails, and the many clients who contracted the lesions and boils on their legs, Rob Bohn, a San Jose attorney representing the plaintiffs, said to the Santa Cruz Sentinel. The mycobacterium fortuitum bacteria were thought to have spread by means of pedicure foot spas that had not been properly cleaned and disinfected. Many of the women receiving pedicures shaved their legs before going to the salon, making them more vulnerable to bacteria through small cuts, Bohn told the Santa Cruz Sentinel.