Woman Sues Victoria's Secret Over Alleged Thong Injury

06/19/2008 at 08:40 AM EDT

A California woman, saying she was injured by a faulty staple linking a jeweled-heart adornment to her underwear thong, has filed a lawsuit against Victoria's Secret, it was reported during an interview with the plaintiff and her attorney on Thursday's Today show.

Marcrida Patterson, 52, is claiming permanent damage to her cornea after an allegedly defective "low-rise v-string" (part of Victoria's Secret's "Sexy Little Thing" line) flew apart and struck her in the eye, says her June 9 filing, according to Los Angeles NBC affiliate KNBC, which earlier reported the story.

The suit does not specify monetary damages being sought, and, despite numerous attempts to press Patterson's lawyer into naming a figure, Today anchor Meredith Vieira essentially brought the interview to an end after he repeatedly dodged answering.

The attorney insisted the lawsuit was about consumer protection. Victoria's Secret had no comment.
– Stephen M. Silverman