Woman Sues Naperville Hotel, Claiming Bartender Raped Her
NAPERVILLE, Ill. (CBS) -- A woman from Virginia claims she was staying in a room at a Naperville hotel when the hotel bartender got a key from the front desk, helped himself into her room, and assaulted her.
CBS 2's Dana Kozlov reports the woman has filed a negligence lawsuit against the Hilton Lisle/Naperville, and is hoping for some security improvements.
"It's terrible," attorney Jeffrey Deutschman said, describing a fall encounter between his client and a former bartender at the hotel.
The federal lawsuit alleges his client was drinking at the bar last October, felt ill, went to her room, and woke up with the off-duty bartender sexually assaulting her.
Deutschman said that bartender told police he got a key from the front desk and let himself in. The suit claims the hotel's front desk personnel did not try to find out why he needed the key or needed to get into a guest's room.
"Zero security at this hotel, regarding women in rooms by themselves. It's outrageous," Deutschman said.
The bartender was charged with criminal trespass to a residence, but police reports indicated there is another side to this story.
The bartender told detectives he did get the key in violation of hotel policy, but he said he knocked on the woman's door, she let him in, and the sexual contact was consensual.
Deutschman said his client never gave the bartender any reason to think he had been invited into her room.
"My client is a very nice, credible woman," he said.
A hotel spokesperson said, in a prepared statement, "The Hilton Lisle/Naperville denies all of the allegations brought forth by the lawyer. … Our number one priority has always been and continues to be our guests' security and safety."
The former bartender was not home Wednesday night.
Police reports also stated the victim refused to go forward with any part of a criminal investigation.
