Model Sabrina Jales St. Pierre is suing the Palm Desert Embassy Suites by Hilton after she says a stay there in 2016 left her with more than 90 bed bug bites. Joel Grover reports for the NBC4 News at 11 a.m. on Monday Sept. 17, 2018.
What to Know
- Sabina Jales St. Pierre said she had about 90 bites after her hotel stay, forcing her to take a two-month break from modeling
- The Victoria's Secret model is suing the Palm Desert Embassy Suites by Hilton after staying there in 2016
- When check into a hotel, check the mattress, box spring, behind picture frames, nightstands and baseboards
Sabrina Jales St. Pierre has modeled for some of the biggest names in the beauty business, but she says a stay at a Southern California hotel left her unable to work for more than two months due to bug bites.
The Victoria's Secret model is suing the Palm Desert Embassy Suites by Hilton after staying there in 2016. The hotel was among those included in an I-Team investigation exposing problems with sanitation at Southern California hotels.
"I literally wanted to rip my skin off," Jales St. Pierre said. "The first morning, when I woke up, I noticed a couple of bites on my arm, but I didn’t think anything of it. And then, the second morning is when I noticed all the bites, and that’s when it got worse."
Jales St. Pierre said she had about 90 bites, forcing her to take a two-month break from modeling.
"She absolutely got massacred," said her attorney, Brian Virag.
Her allegations are similar to those of another hotel guest, former Santa Ana Police sergeant Gary Bruce. Bruce, who was in one of the lead cars during the infamous 1994 OJ Simpson pursuit, checked into the same hotel in June and said he noticed red bite marks after his stay.
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"There's no doubt in my mind it was definitely bed bugs," he said.
Bruce also is represented by Virag and filing a lawsuit.
In a statement, Embassy Suites said it inspected both rooms in each separate incident and brought in an outside pest control company that said there was not evidence of any pest in the rooms, including bed bugs.
The NBC4 I-Team spoke with experts about what to know when you check into a hotel room.
Places to Check for Bed Bugs in Hotels
- Mattress
- Box spring
- Behind picture frames
- Nightstands
- Baseboards
