According to a lawsuit seeking $7 million, a man who looks like a hotel worker, who was naked and put into the guest room at Bal Harbor Luxury Resort while she was naked, was put into the guest room at Bal Harbor Luxury Resort, entered the bathroom, opened the shower door and stared at him.
A woman visiting Jamaica spent her vacation in South Florida with her boyfriend at St Regis Bal Harbor, 9703 Collins Ave., managed by Marriott.
The woman’s name and age were not submitted in court and the Miami Herald has not identified her as it could include sex offences.
A civil lawsuit against Marriott International, which includes damages and a request for a ju trial, was filed in the Miami Dade Circuit Court on May 21 by women’s attorney Justin Shapiro, Miami Company Leesfield & Partners and Pennsylvania Partners.
In addition to Marriott International, the suit is named ClearView Building Services, a cleaning company used by the hotel chain.
Executives at Marriott, St. Regis and Clearview have not responded to multiple requests via phone and email from the Miami Herald.
The day after the incident, according to a Bal Harbor police report filed on December 12, 2023, the woman said she didn’t leave until an unknown man in a hotel uniform entered the room without permission, took a shower, stared at his naked body, screaming at him and chased him.
Bal Harbor Police, which categorized the case as a robbery, did not return several calls regarding the incident or whether an arrest warrant would be issued. The police report names a male suspect with a business address listed as ClearView Building Services.
According to the lawsuit, while a hotel guest was taking a shower, the man in the uniform “opened the shower door” and “leaded” the woman’s naked body while her back was facing him. She heard him shut the shower door and looked at him as he left.
She cried out to him, but he stayed in her room, saying that the court filing “to continue his nautical invasion.” According to the lawsuit, he continued to stare at her body “for what felt like eternity.”
“He brushed and physical contact with the woman’s naked body,” according to the lawsuit, as he left the room. The police report does not mention physical contact.
The lawsuit alleges that the woman has “severe and lasting psychological trauma, requiring extensive psychiatric treatment and a variety of powerful psychiatric medications,” and there are many other issues related to the case.
The lawsuit also alleges that the St. Regis was negligent about how the hotel responded after “quickly reporting the incident” and demanded that the police be called.
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The woman alleges that St. Regis managers intentionally delay contacting police for more than 24 hours, mistakenly telling them they didn’t want to involve officers, refused to show a photo of a hotel employee, and allowed police to clean their original room before they could inspect their fingerprints.
“The management of the St. Regis obstructed the investigation every turn,” the lawsuit says. According to the lawsuit, the resort’s loss prevention manager told her “we can’t show you a photo of the employee without a subpoena.”
However, the hotel moved the woman and her boyfriend into a larger suite. And they charged a couple for the upgraded room.
