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A brave rape victim has chosen to step forward not only talk about her rape but also the lawsuit that she has chosen to file against a hotel.
In December of 2013, Kayla Snipe was invited to attend a work Christmas party. Knowing that the party would likely go late into the evening and that alcohol consumption would be involved, she chose to be responsible and book a room at the Embassy Suites where the party was taking place. When she checked in, she checked in alone and did not authorize anyone else to obtain a key or enter the room.
Learn more from our hotel sexual abuse lawyers from Abuse Guardians.
According to her statement, she ate a large meal and drank two lightly mixed alcoholic beverages, then switched to drinking just a Sprite. However, she found herself feeling ill, dizzy, and disoriented. She informed a friend she wasn’t feeling well and chose to retire to her hotel room at 7:30 pm. She fell asleep alone.
Later in the evening, an obviously intoxicated man who was also her coworker, approached the front desk and told the attendant that he needed to check on her and that she was his girlfriend. Without checking his ID or calling Kayla to confirm that he was, in fact, her boyfriend, the attendant handed over a room key. The coworker then used that room key to enter her room and sexually assault her several times. The next morning he even confirmed via text message that they had been sexually active and that he was drunk at the time.
She woke up the next morning in a hospital bed, unaware of what had happened that night. While it has yet to be confirmed that she had been drugged, her physical symptoms and lack of memory suggest that she was slipped something. Although she didn’t remember the assault, she consented to a physical exam which provided the necessary evidence. Her attacker is now facing criminal charges.
Although rape victims have the right to remain anonymous, Snipes has bravely stepped forward and revealed her identity in hopes that her case will help prevent future attacks on other women.
In the lawsuit she has filed against Hilton, she alleges that the hotel chain was negligent for providing her attacker with a key to her room even though she had checked in alone. She claims this was a clear breach of the duty they owed her as a visitor to the hotel.
What Is A Breach Of Duty?
When a guest signs into a hotel, there are certain duties that are owed to them. One of these duties is providing them with a safe environment. If during the guest’s stay the hotel chain or an employee does not act in a reasonable manner, they may be held liable for any injury that a guest sustains.
The lawsuit filed by the victim is designed to provide them with monetary compensation for their losses and suffering and is completely separate from the criminal charges filed by the police. While no amount of money can erase the memory of their horrific experience, it can provide the plaintiff was a sense that justice has been served by helping to hold negligent parties responsible for their actions.
In addition to this, the monetary compensation can help to pay for medical bills, lost wages, emotional trauma, and physical pain and suffering. Rape victims often suffer from flashbacks, depression, anxiety, and PTSD and shouldn’t forgo or go into debt paying for getting help.
The amount obtained for victims through either a settlement or successful verdict varies widely but by working with an experienced, dedicated, and passionate attorney, plaintiffs can be sure that they get the maximum compensation possible.
