BEVERLY HILLS—Larry Poe, a professional speaker and author, is suing the Beverly Hilton Hotel, claiming he contracted a staph infection during a facial treatment in 2016 at the hotel’s spa.
According to his LinkedIn page, Poe, who lives in Texas, currently works with the JobFather Recruitment Group where he helps individuals achieve career success and corporations find and hire great talent. He travels nationwide to give speeches and attend events. After getting a facial at the Beverly Hilton’s spa on Februrary 23, 2016, his appearance drastically changed.
“The technician was a lady I had never met before and she said, ‘You have this little pimple right here.’ and she poked my lip with a tool and right away I could feel it stinging or burning,” Poe told ABC 7 News.
According to Poe’s lawsuit, the employee had applied a “special concoction” to his upper lip, which swelled for 3 days.
Poe eventually went to the emergency room after his lip continued to swell and cause pain. He was diagnosed with MRSA, an infection caused by a type of bacteria that’s become resistant to many of the antibiotics used to treat ordinary staph infections, according to the suit.
He indicated that he suffered a permanent scarring on the left side of his upper lip, impacting his appearance as a professional speaker. The infection caused him to take time off from his speaking engagements, according to the suit.
