Reality TV star Shamea Morton is headed to the courtroom after having a routine beauty treatment that she says went horribly wrong.
Shamea Morton and her husband, Gerald Mwangi, have an active medical malpractice lawsuit against Jing Jing Wong Harris, M.D., her company Pretty Faces Atlanta, & other defendants after she says she now has “extensive permanent scarring” from a chemical peel, per People.
Morton believes she “should never have undergone a chemical peel (or any ‘cosmetic pigment treatment’ like a peel, laser, etc.) due to her diagnosis of Tinea Versicolor, which is a fungal condition.” Instead, she says she should have been referred to a dermatologist. Morton claims that, with or without the condition, the procedure was “completely inappropriate” for African American skin, particularly without proper preparation, pigment correction, or less aggressive treatments.
According to the complaint, the alleged injury occurred during a procedure on March 13, 2024, at the medical spa.
The suit states that the treatment was “negligently and recklessly applied” by Pretty Faces Atlanta employee Lauren M. Davis, whose license as an assistant cosmetic laser practitioner with the Georgia Composite Medical Board lapsed in 2019.
The lawsuit alleges that a third-party staff member at Pretty Faces Atlanta performed the peel using a formulation too strong for Morton’s back and arms. This same individual allegedly conducted the peel without supervision from Dr. Harris, causing “second degree burns, blistering, and permanent scarring”, per the filing.
Morton claims she let out harrowing cries due to the painful sensations.
Her legal team describes a moment during the procedure when the pain became so severe that her screams reportedly prompted Dr. Harris to enter the room.
“[Morton’s] screams were so loud that [Harris], for the first time that day, entered the room where the procedure was being performed and inquired as to what was going.” The suit adds, “When [Morton] reported intense pain to [Harris], [Harris] told her that she was being dramatic.”
The Real Housewives star claimed that “only after seeing the tears from [Morton] crying, [Harris] applied an unknown solution from a spray bottle to [Morton’s] back.”
“Harris never consulted, examined, or approved the treatment plan for [Morton] prior to the application of the chemical peel,” Morton’s lawsuit alleged.
Darren M. Tobin, Morton’s lawyer told Us Weekly, “What happened to Shamea when she was burned is unacceptable and inexcusable. We intend on pursuing full justice allowed under the law.”