Nicola Peltz Beckham accuses grooming company of 'reckless and malicious conduct' after dog's death

Nicola Peltz Beckham is taking a mobile dog grooming service to court, alleging the company is responsible for the death of her chihuahua.

The "Bates Motel" star, 29, filed a complaint Tuesday in New York accusing the dog grooming company HoundSpa of "reckless and malicious conduct" that led to her pet's death, according to the filing viewed by USA TODAY.

USA TODAY has reached out to HoundSpa for comment.

In the complaint, Peltz Beckham alleges that her dog Nala went into a HoundSpa van for a routine grooming in June and came back "in obvious serious physical distress with her lungs full of water, chest pulsating and hyperventilating." Nala was rushed to the vet and died within hours, the complaint says.

"The vet observed that Nala's tongue was blue, she had fluid in her lungs, and she suffered neurological damage," the complaint alleges. "Nala was put on oxygen and cared for as Nicola distressingly and emotionally witnessed her dog suffer. Due to her injuries and severe condition, Nala tragically passed away a mere two hours after being in the van with the groomer."

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Peltz Beckham alleges that groomer Jony Ceballos "violently mistreated and/or intentionally abused the dog with utter callous disregard for her safety, health and well-being," and these actions "severely, and ultimately fatally, injured" her.

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The filing also alleges that there were previous complaints accusing Ceballos of mistreating animals, leading Peltz Beckham to believe he would no longer be employed by HoundSpa.

For example, Peltz Beckham says her brother and his girlfriend had a negative experience with Ceballos in 2022 after he groomed their dog and the pet allegedly returned "in distress" with red and irritated eyes.

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Since the incident last month, the "Transformers: Age of Extinction" actress says HoundSpa has refused to give answers about what happened to Nala.

"With this lawsuit, Nicola strives to bring to light precisely what mistreatment and abuse was done to her beloved dog in that van," the filing states. "HoundSpa, its owner, and its groomer, must be held accountable for their actions and pay for the life it ended."

Peltz Beckham, who has been married to Brooklyn Beckham since 2022, is seeking damages, which she says will be donated to dog rescue organizations. She also says she wants to shine a light on the issue of "unregulated, unlicensed and abusive" groomers and push for legislation making video cameras mandatory in grooming vans.

Peltz Beckham previously shared news of her dog's death in a June Instagram post, writing that Nala was "my beautiful queen and stayed by my side for 9 years through everything."

"This has been the hardest month of my life," she wrote. "I can't even find the words to describe my heartbreak on so many levels."

She added, "Please be careful who you send your dogs to because you don't know what goes on behind closed doors."