Nicola Peltz Beckham sues groomer after death of her dog; 'Her life was taken away'

Nicola Peltz-Beckham is pursuing legal action against the groomer who worked on her late dog, Nala. Last month, Peltz-Beckham shared the news that her dog had died unexpectedly after a trip to the groomer. Yesterday, she filed a lawsuit against Jony Ceballos, Deborah "Deb" Gittleman, and HoundSpa LLC in New York. 

In the filing, Peltz-Beckham and her legal team claim that Nala's death was caused by the groomer's "intentional and malicious abuse of dogs," reports PEOPLE. 

The filing states that Ceballos had a history of "complaints" and that there were various reports of him abusing and mistreating animals. Peltz-Beckham reports that Nala died two hours after being left at a grooming van outside of her home. "Nala went into the grooming van, a happy, healthy dog, but returned injured and in severe physical distress— breathing heavily and wheezing, with her chest pulsating," reads the filing. She was rushed to the nearest vet due to her increasing symptoms. 

"Nala was put on oxygen and cared for as Nicola distressingly and emotionally witnessed her dog suffer," continues the filing. 

Peltz's emotional tribute to her dog

Over the past month, Peltz has shared her feelings on social media, where she's shared various images of Nala with her family, including her husband Brooklyn Peltz-Beckham. The death of her pet coincided with the death of her beloved grandmother, whom they called "Nonni," a moment Peltz-Beckham alluded to in the comments. "this has been the hardest month of my life," she wrote in the caption. "i can’t even find the words to describe my heartbreak on so many levels. nala was perfectly healthy when she went to the groomers yesterday but came out hyperventilating and couldn’t catch her breath. we rushed her to the vet and she passed hours later. i’m sharing this in hopes that it might prevent this from happening to other dogs. her life was taken away from her way too soon. she was my beautiful queen and stayed by my side for 9 years through everything. please be careful who you send your dogs to because you don’t know what goes on behind closed doors. 1 day without nala on earth feels like an eternity. i wish i could have her back in my arms. i pray she’s with my naunni. i hope i see them soon."