Confidential settlement – hotel guest raped in room (Orlando)

Rape is a crime of violence that forever changes the life of someone who is victimized.  At Leighton Panoff Law, we recognize that victim-centered representation includes a need to understand what our clients have been through and will go through the rest of their lives.

A businesswoman attending a convention at a major resort hotel was raped inside her room while she slept.  The woman and her roommate, another co-worker, had returned from a convention dinner event where there was a lot of drinking. They then went to bed. They believed their hotel room door was closed. This was the kind of self-closing door found in all hotels.

Another guest attending the same convention and staying in the hotel was intoxicated and was walking along the hallway where they were staying.  He was seen on security cameras pushing on doors.  When he pushed on the door where these two women were staying, the door opened.  He entered, got into bed with our client, and had unconsented sex with her.  When he was discovered he quickly left the room.  Security was called and the drunken guest was apprehended (and ultimately convicted of sexual battery and imprisoned).

John Leighton was hired and retained investigators and forensic engineers to evaluate the safety and security of the resort.  Testing of the hotel room door revealed that the self-latching mechanism that automatically closes hotel room doors was not operating correctly.  The door would close almost enough so it appeared to guests that it was latched… but it would not fully latch. The door could be pushed open from the hallway.  The hotel had  committed several mistakes.  First, they failed to properly maintain their door, which is a violation of codes and standards.  Second, they had over-served the rapist alcoholic beverages so he was incredibly intoxicated.  Third, they failed to take any action after he was seen (or should have been seen by security) pushing in guest room doors.  This all resulted in a devastating rape.  Mr. Leighton obtained a confidential settlement on behalf of the victim of this terrible crime.

Leighton Panoff Law is committed to providing victim-centered representation of survivors of sexual assault and rape.

 

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