New York, New York - A well-known New York tattoo studio is suing a number of ex-employees who called out the organization for unsanitary conditions, including dirty needles and rats.

Popular New York studio Live by the Sword filed a $3 million lawsuit against three of its ex-piercers, whom they claim "colluded" to publish "false and misleading statements, images, and information."

The defendants posted a series of images showing dirty needles, insects such as cockroaches and bedbugs, dead rats, general muck and grime, and spilled blood.

According to the lawsuit, Live by the Sword "likely lost several thousand current and prospective clients, totaling more than one million dollars," because of the ex-employees' alleged defamation.

The studio also argued that it is "at risk of losing many more current and prospective clients" in the future.

According to Live by the Sword, a judge has already issued a temporary restraining order blocking the defendants from posting more potentially defamatory content until legal proceedings conclude.

Speaking with the New York Post, ex-worker Marcy Mattes said that "I think the main thing is to shut us up... It was just a matter of time before someone actually aired [it] out."

Defendant Wiki Karwacki triggered the lawsuit when she posted the pictures on Instagram and voiced her concerns about the conditions within the tattoo and body modification studio.

"Who knows how many individuals exposed themselves to avoidable infections and/or other complications," she said in court papers.

"I could not, in good conscience, allow this to continue without saying something," Karwacki said.