Nicola Peltz Beckham’s Ex-Groomer Fires Back at Lawsuit Over Dead Dog

The dog groomer who Nicola Peltz Beckham accused of playing a role in her beloved chihuahua Nala’s death fired back in court, In Touch can exclusively report.
According to court documents obtained by In Touch, Jony Ceballos, who worked at a mobile dog grooming company named HoundSpa, denied all allegations of wrongdoing. He disputed the claim his actions led to Nala passing.
His lawyers argued that Nicola’s lawsuit failed “to state a cause of action” and that she “failed to perform as contractually provided.”
In addition, his lawyer said Nicola, 29, is “liable for her comparative negligence.”
Last year, Nicola filed a lawsuit against the dog grooming company HoundSpa, the owner Deborah Gittleman along with groomer Jony Ceballos. Nicola blamed the defendants for the death of her chihuahua Nala.
The actress said she rescued Nala, who became a part of her family for the past nine years. Nicola said a chihuahua’s average lifespans is between 14 and 16 years.
Nicola’s lawyer wrote in the lawsuit, “Nala’s life was tragically cut short, by a groomer’s abuse, at just almost nine years old.”
In her suit, Nicola said while at her New York home, her and her family have used HoundSpa’s mobile grooming services to groom their dogs.
In 2022, Nicola said her brother and his girlfriend had a bad experience with Jony and their dog. She said her brother informed the owner Deborah about the issue. Nicola claimed the company received many other complaints about Jony’s treatment of animals. Nicola said she believed Deborah would remove Jony as a groomer.
However, on June 15, 2024, Nicola said “unbeknownst” to her, Jony was sent to her home as a groomer to groom five of her dogs.
The actress’ lawsuit claimed, “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. As poor Nala suffered, Nicola rushed her to the vet, a fifteen-minute drive away.”
The suit continued, “The vet observed that Nala’s tongue was blue, she had fluid in her lungs, and she suffered neurological damage. Nala was put on oxygen and cared for as Nicola distressingly and emotionally witnessed her dog suffer.”
Nicola’s complaint added, “Due to her injuries and severe condition, Nala tragically passed away a mere two hours after being in the van with the groomer. All Nicola could do was try to provide Nala comfort through her own heartache and pain, as she watched Nala suffer through debilitating injuries and die.”

Nicola said Deborah “should never have allowed” Jony to continue to groom pets after receiving complaints concerning his mistreatment and abuse of animals.”
The suit said, “[Jony] not only failed to properly care for her, but also [Jony] violently mistreated and/or intentionally abused the dog, with utter callous disregard for her safety, health and well-being. [Jony’s] actions severely, and ultimately fatally, injured Nala.”
She said Deborah did not have any video monitoring cameras despite the various complaints.
Nicola argued that, “by retaining [Jony] as an employee, and failing to monitor him and his conduct, [Deborah] knowingly and maliciously, or recklessly, put every dog that was groomed by HoundSpa at risk of being harmed. And still, upon information and belief, even after [Jony] abused Nala, and caused her death, HoundSpa/[Deborah] continues to employ [Jony] and put him alone, unmonitored and without cameras, in a van with other people’s pets.” Her lawsuit added, “Nicola is left devastated. Nala was more than just a pet, she was a member of Nicola’s family – she was like one of Nicola’s children, her baby.”
Nicola demanded unspecified compensatory damages along with punitive damages.
“Nicola intends to donate all monies received from Defendants to a dog rescue organization,” her lawsuit read. Houndspa and owner Deborah denied all allegations of wrongdoing. The case is ongoing.