A customer alleges repeated piercing attempts caused severe tongue injuries and hospital treatment.
A New York City woman has filed a lawsuit against an East Village piercing shop, alleging that an employee repeatedly punctured her tongue during a procedure, causing heavy bleeding, severe pain and a trip to the emergency room. Elsa Weingeist, 25, visited Funky Town on St. Marks Place in September to get a tongue stud. The shop advertised body-piercing services, and Weingeist said she believed the employee performing the procedure had plenty of experience. Instead, she claims the appointment quickly turned into a frightening ordeal, leaving her with a horrific tongue injury, struggling to speak, and dealing with pain for weeks.
The lawsuit, filed on October 16 in Manhattan Supreme Court, names the shop in connection with the tongue injury. Weingeist claims employee Shamim Islam attempted to pierce her tongue at least four times rather than completing the procedure in a single pass. According to the complaint, Islam repeatedly apologized for the problems and asked to try again, even as the procedure became increasingly painful. Weingeist eventually had to insist that the employee stop. After four attempts, she said she could no longer tolerate the pain and demanded that the procedure end. One of her attorneys, Darius A. Marzec, described the experience as a disturbing series of repeated needle punctures.
The customer also questioned whether Islam was qualified to perform the piercing. She said she asked to see his license but was unable to find credentials bearing his name or documents that appeared to authorize him to pierce customers. Weingeist said the certificates displayed inside the business did not establish that anyone present had the required qualifications for the service. The injury left her mouth filled with blood, according to her account. She called 911, but she and a friend eventually left the shop before emergency responders arrived because they believed the wait was taking too long. Weingeist first went to an urgent care facility, where staff told her she needed hospital treatment.
At the emergency room, she underwent blood tests and received a tetanus shot. She said doctors explained that recovery would take time. The injury made ordinary activities difficult, particularly talking, and she described the pain as intense. The lawsuit seeks an unspecified amount of damages related to the alleged mishandling of the piercing and the resulting injuries.
A standard tongue piercing is generally performed by using a clamp to hold the tongue steady before passing a needle through it once. Healing commonly takes six to eight weeks. Weingeist’s lawsuit alleges that Islam used a clamp but punctured her tongue several times instead of completing the procedure as expected.
Funky Town has operated in the East Village for nearly 20 years, but online reviews cited in the report describe complaints about piercing experiences at the business. Several reviewers claimed their piercings continued bleeding for months, while others reported crooked placement, infections or concerns about cleanliness. One reviewer also alleged that staff members pushed customers to purchase additional piercings. These online comments are separate from the allegations in Weingeist’s lawsuit and do not establish what happened during her appointment.
A Funky Town employee said Islam left the business shortly after the plaintiff’s tongue injury. The employee acknowledged that Islam did not have a piercing license, while claiming that other people working at the shop were licensed. The employee also disputed the motivation behind the lawsuit, suggesting that Weingeist was seeking money. The shop’s response did not resolve the allegations in the court filing. Weingeist is seeking compensation for the injuries and suffering she says followed the procedure.
Sources:
Woman sues NYC shop over botched tongue piercing that sent her to hospital
Lawsuit Says Shady NYC Piercing Shop Butchered Woman’s Tongue and Sent Her to ER
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