Hotel Sexual Assault Lawyers in Houston, Texas
The hotel sexual assault lawyers in Houston, Texas, at Blizzard Greenberg, PLLC, can help you if you were a victim of sexual assault while staying at a hotel. Victims may have the right to seek from the hotel, if the hotel did not employ adequate security measures to protect guests from sexual predators. Sometimes hotel owners and operators may fail to properly secure hotel keys or may fail to properly vet hotel staff.
The hotel sexual assault lawyers at Blizzard Greenberg understand how devastating it can be to be a victim of sexual assault. We offer compassionate and caring counsel to sexual assault victims, helping them understand their rights, and fight for justice. Our hotel sexual assault lawyers in Houston, Texas, can file a lawsuit against responsible parties, which can help you heal, receive treatment for recovery, and help you move forward with your life.
We put together these tips to help travelers stay safe and minimize the risk of an attack.
** We developed this infographic as a downloadable option and also put together a video.
Here is some additional information on hotel related sexual assault cases:
- Hotel Owner to Pay Nearly $1 Million in Attempted Sexual Assault of Hotel Guest
- Blizzard Greenberg Firm’s $44M Court Win Nabs No. 1 Ranking on Texas Lawyer’s Top Verdicts List for 2021
- Blizzard Greenberg files lawsuit on behalf of local student against a DoubleTree by Hilton hotel in North Austin
- Hilton Hotels Hit with Record $44M Negligence Verdict for Facilitating a Sexual Assault of a Hotel Guest
Hotel Sexual Assault
Hotels that fail to take proper security measures to prevent entry to your room; or fail to properly screen their staff for criminal history, and those that fail to properly train their staff in crime prevention can be held liable through lawsuits if a patron was sexually assaulted on premises,.. Given the nature of hotels, the number of private spaces where sexual assault can occur, and the fact that staff may sometimes be alone in rooms with guests, the opportunities for sexual assault to occur at a hotel are higher.
While it is primarily the responsibility of hotels to provide a safe and secure experience for travelers, Blizzard Greenberg attorneys have handled several cases in which hotel staff members and security failed to provide minimum safety standards that would have prevented sexual assaults and attempted sexual assaults of hotel guests.
We put together these tips to help travelers stay safe and minimize the risk of an attack.
** We developed this infographic as a downloadable option and also put together a video.
What is Sexual Assault?
Sexual assault can take on many forms. It can include forcibly kissing or touching another person without their consent, or penetrating a person’s body with another body part or object without their consent. Sexual assault is also referred to as rape, assault, sexual harassment, or sexual abuse.
If you or someone you love was a victim of hotel sexual assault, the hotel sexual assault lawyers in Houston, Texas, at Blizzard Greenberg, PLLC, may be able to help you. Our lawyers can review the details of your case, identify negligent parties and perpetrators, and fight to help you get the compensation you deserve. Reach out to the hotel sexual assault attorneys in Houston, Texas, at Blizzard Greenberg, PLLC, today.
How Can Hotels Prevent Sexual Assault?
Hotels that fail to take proper security measures to prevent entry to your room; or fail to properly screen their staff for criminal history, and those that fail to properly train their staff in crime prevention can be held liable through lawsuits if a patron was sexually assaulted on premises,.. Given the nature of hotels, the number of private spaces where sexual assault can occur, and the fact that staff may sometimes be alone in rooms with guests, the opportunities for sexual assault to occur at a hotel are higher.
Research has been done to identify ways that hotels can prevent sexual assault. Hotel design is one method. When there is only one way in or out of a hotel, it is easier for the hotel to be secured. There is more of an opportunity for staff to identify unwanted entries, and it is easier to set up surveillance systems to monitor who enters and leaves the premises. The use of cameras, the installation of deadbolts on hotel room doors, the proper handling of room keys, and clear procedures for ensuring that former patrons don’t have access to the rooms using more sophisticated security systems can prevent some sexual assaults from occurring. Other strategies, like performing thorough background checks on staff, especially those who may be in close proximity to guests and other staff can also prevent sexual assault.
According to researchers at Florida International University, a little over half of hotels use cameras as a security measure, and a little over 30% hire security staff. Half of hotels performed background checks on new hires and a little under half of hotels provided safety tips to staff and patrons. Ultimately, hotel operators have a responsibility to prevent sexual assault on their properties. If you were sexually assaulted in a hotel and believe the hotel operator failed to take steps to protect your safety, you may have the right to sue the hotel. The hotel sexual assault lawyers in Houston, Texas, at Blizzard Greenberg, PLLC, may be able to help you.
Hotel Sex Trafficking Victims in Houston, Texas
There has been recent attention drawn to the role that hotel operators, staff, and other hospitality service providers can play in preventing sex trafficking on their properties. There have even been reports where hotel operators were aware that sex trafficking might have been taking place on their properties, where the hotel operators failed to report these crimes or looked the other way. If a hotel operator failed to take steps to prevent sex trafficking on their property or looked the other way, victims may have the right to sue the hotel operator for failing to take steps to prevent sex trafficking and sexual assault on their properties. According to the National Human Trafficking Resource Center, there were 3,596 instances of trafficking that took place in a hotel or motel within a recent ten-year period under study. While more steps have been taken recently to prevent sex trafficking, hotel staff and operators have an important role to play in preventing sex trafficking and sexual assault.
There are signs of human trafficking and sexual assault that hotel staff and hotel operators can be trained to watch for. These include violent altercations or arguments taking place in hallways, checking trash for the presence of large numbers of used condoms, guests refusing housekeeping services, or guests who aren’t identified being brought into hotel rooms. Hotel owners and staff can also watch for guests who have injuries or poor hygiene, those who do not have identification, those who aren’t dressed appropriately for their age or surroundings, a guest who only pays for rooms in cash and who brings in many guests, or refusal of housekeeping services.
If you were a victim of human trafficking or hotel sexual assault, the hotel sexual assault lawyers in Houston, Texas, at Blizzard Greenberg, PLLC, may be able to help you. Our lawyers are here to fight for victims’ rights and help change a system that has sometimes looked the other way when sexual assault has taken place.
The hotel sexual assault lawyers in Houston, Texas at Blizzard Greenberg, PLLC help victims of hotel sexual assault. If you were sexually assaulted while staying at a hotel, you may be facing a range of immense challenges. You may require ongoing medical care and counseling, may be suffering from mental anguish, and may be unable to work or engage in regular life activities. Individuals stay in hotels because they perceive them as safe places. Yet, when hotels fail to follow their own safety protocols, fail to train staff in identifying situations where sexual assault might take place, or fail to implement safety procedures to keep guests safe from sexual assault, guests can turn into victims.
Hotels have a responsibility to honor their own safety procedures and take steps to prevent a sexual assault from taking place when there are clear signs indicating that a sexual assault may occur. Hotels have been held liable for permitting human trafficking on their property, or when there were known signs that human trafficking was taking place. Similarly, sexual assaults can also have warning signs, and when hotel staff fail to take steps to call the police or implement safety procedures to prevent sexual assaults from taking place, sexual assaults can happen on hotel premises.
Blizzard Greenberg, PLLC is a hotel sexual assault law firm in Houston, Texas that helps victims of hotel sexual assault hold hotels liable for their failure to take steps to prevent sexual assaults from taking place on their premises. Our hotel sexual assault attorneys have secured millions of dollars for victims of sexual assault. Compensation for sexual assault can include payment to help cover medical expenses, counseling, and lost wages due to the distress caused by the sexual assault. Recently, our firm helped a hotel sexual assault victim win $44 million dollars for her medical costs, lost wages, and mental anguish.
It can be difficult to come forward as a victim of sexual assault. If you were sexually assaulted in a hotel, the sexual assault attorneys in Houston, Texas at Blizzard Greenberg, PLLC may be able to help you. Our sexual assault lawyers in Houston, Texas work closely with victims to help protect their anonymity, secure a settlement, and receive justice for their losses.
What is Hotel Sexual Assault in Houston, Texas?
The Texas penal code defines sexual assault as any intentional penetration of “the anus or sexual organ of another person” using any method of penetration and without the other person’s consent. Hotel sexual assault is when sexual assault as defined by the Texas penal code happens on hotel property. One of the key factors that prosecutors and civil courts will look for is the idea of consent. There are many definitions of consent, but a few of them will likely apply in cases of hotel sexual assault. Some relevant definitions of consent that your hotel sexual assault lawyer in Houston, Texas will look at include:
- Situations where a victim was threatened with physical violence, force or coercion into engaging in sexual acts, or where physical violence, force or coercion was a key component of the sexual assault.
- Situations where a person was unconscious or unable to give permission and the perpetrator still engaged in sexual acts with the victim.
- Situations where the victim would be incapacitated in such a way, either due to drugs or alcohol or another reason such that he or she wouldn’t know that a sexual assault was occurring, wouldn’t be able to resist the sexual assault, or wouldn’t be able to give permission for the sexual assault.
- Situations where a perpetrator gives a victim drugs or alcohol to impair his or her ability to resist the sexual assault.
These are some of the primary areas of consent under the penal code that a hotel sexual assault lawyer will look closely at when gathering evidence for your case. If you were sexually assaulted in a hotel, the aftermath can be incredibly devastating. The hotel sexual assault attorneys in Houston, Texas at Blizzard Greenberg, PLLC are here to help you.
Contact a Hotel Sexual Assault Lawyer in Houston, Texas, Today
The Houston, Texas, hotel sexual assault lawyers at Blizzard Greenberg, PLLC, are here to help you if you or someone you love was a victim of hotel sexual assault. We can identify negligent parties, review your case, and fight to help you receive the compensation you deserve. . If you suffered hotel sexual assault in Houston, Texas, you have the right to fight back. Reach out to the Houston, Texas, hotel sexual assault lawyers at Blizzard Greenberg, PLLC, today.
