A Florida nail salon has reached a $1.75 million settlement with a woman who lost her leg to an infection after a pedicure.
In September of 2018, Clara Shellman went to Tammy’s Nails 2 for a pedicure and ended up with a cut on her foot. The cut became infected, spreading rapidly in part because 55-year-old Shellman suffered from peripheral arterial disease. She ended up having her leg amputated.
Shellman lost her home after being saddled with medical bills from the amputation. Now, more than three years later, she has reached a settlement with the salon. The Tampa Bay Times reports that Paul Fulmer, Shellman’s attorney, quoted the amount as $1.75 million.
“She was stunned, shocked, crying, and giddy, all at the same time,” Fulmer told the outlet.
The lawsuit was filed in May of 2020, alleging that the nail salon employee used equipment and tools that were so dirty they put customers at risk. Initially, Tammy’s Nails 2 refuted the claims and instead blamed Shellman. In their answer to the lawsuit, the salon claimed she didn’t “take reasonable efforts to prevent the development of infection” by not immediately seeking medical care.
Fulmer said that he and Shellman were both surprised the salon agreed to the settlement due to the preexisting condition. He said the defense would have had “a very strong argument,” and they would have been happy with have of what was offered.
