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Rape Victim Sues Marriott Hotel for Negligent Security
June 05, 2008

If you thought that plush interiors and liveried doormen are an assurance of the high standards of a hotel in everything, including security, think again. One woman who underwent possibly the worst experience a woman could go through right under the nose of the hotel she was staying at, has sued the establishment for failing to prevent her assault.

The rape occurred inside the parking garage at the Marriott Hotel in Stamford, Connecticut. The woman was loading her children's car safety seats into the back of the car, when she was assaulted by 50-year-old Gary Fricker who pressed a metal object to her back and told her that he had a gun. Once he had her in the car, Fricker proceeded to rape the woman right in front of her two young kids, both of then younger than seven. He also threatened to assault them if they dared to scream. The woman began screaming for help when another car approached the ramp, and Fricker then ran away.

Since that unforgettable day, the woman who has undergone intensive stress counseling and therapy, says her life and that of her children has been irrevocably changed. The children too have been in therapy, and their mother worries about the long term effects that this incident will have on them. At the time of the rape, they weren't old enough to help defend their mother, but they were old enough to remember.

Fricker was later found and convicted of the crime.

In her lawsuit, in which she claims more than $15,000, the woman alleges that Fricker had been found loitering around the hotel a few days before the attack, but was not questioned by security. On the day of the accident, Fricker reportedly was found looking for victims in the hotel and around the lobby, but nobody questioned his motives. One hotel employee reported seeing Fricker in the vicinity of the hotel acting in a suspicious manner and did not act.

It seems that the hotel failed miserably in its security arrangements for its guests. With the kind of rates that these hotels charge, one sure hopes the 400-count Egyptian cotton sheets are the softest in all the land, because the hotel security definitely leaves much to be desired. There were no employees monitoring the parking lots, and the staff was not trained to undertake appropriate security for its guests. Moreover, the hotel should have been aware that there were assaults that had taken place in the neighborhood in the months before the rape.

It's hard to imagine how this incident has affected the woman and her children. To endure a rape is in itself a traumatic experience. To suffer one, trapped in your car in the parking lot of an upscale hotel with people and help so near, yet so inaccessible, and with her children as spectators, must have been a nightmare. When people visit a five star hotel, they expect first and foremost to be taken care of. The hotel seems to have been lax with the safety of its guests. All the compensation will probably not erase memories of that day, but the woman definitely deserves justice.

The Reeves Law Group is a law firm with offices throughout California dedicated exclusively to the representation of personal injury victims, including victims of negligent security. Please visit our website at trlglaw.com. If you desire a free consultation on a personal injury matter, please call us at (800) 644-8000 or email us.

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Family of Man Killed in ATM Attack Files Lawsuit
April 01, 2008

You shouldn't have to worry about getting shot in the head when you step up to an ATM. Forget the argument about all ATMs being dangerous - they shouldn't have to be. Period. We don't live in a war zone where we can expect to have our heads blown off for stepping out of our security zone. When we walk into a pubic building or space, we need to know that the management of the building in question will take all measures to protect us.

Bank of America it seems failed on this vital protection, and as a result, is being sued by the family of a man who was killed during an ATM robbery at one of its branches. The victim, 47-year-old Mylus Mondy, was killed when he walked into an ATM at the 6600 block of La Cienega Westway west of Inglewood in Los Angeles, California. When Mylus walked up to the ATM, there was already a crime in progress. A robbery was taking place, and the suspect, 23-year-old Mackenzie Bryant, immediately turned his gun on Mylus. Mylus tried to turn around and run, but was shot. He died the next day.

Through available video surveillance, police managed to apprehend Bryant and his suspected accomplice, 22-year-old Enjoli McClendon.

Now, Mylus' family has brought a lawsuit against Bank of America for failing to provide security at nighttime at the ATM where the crime took place. The lawsuit, which was filed on Friday, claims that the bank was aware of robberies that had taken place earlier at the same ATM. For instance, there have been three hold-ups at that exact same ATM since August.

The bank has been well aware of these crimes, but had not seen fit to inform customers who might use the ATM of these incidents. Not only that, security at the ATM appears to have been surprisingly lax. There was security in the daytime, but no nighttime security was provided. And this was an ATM that criminals were drawn to in droves, apparently - a fact that the bank was well aware of. Full-fledged security at an ATM that had seen at least three hold-ups in the past eight months could have saved Mylus Mondy's life.

In this case, Bank of America seems to have a false sense of security because the neighborhood the ATM was located in was an affluent one, home to upper-middle class families. Even so, being lax about security at an ATM that had a history of criminal incidents is unacceptable.

The lawsuit also names the two suspects, Mackenzie Bryant and Enjolie McClendon. Both of them have been arrested and charged with murder, and are currently being held without bail. There have been enough special charges listed against them, which if the case against them is proved, could lead to them receiving the death penalty.

All it needed was some semblance of security, and Mylus Mondy could have been safe and sound with his family today. This was a preventable tragedy. All he was doing was minding his own business when he stopped by to pick up some cash - he didn't have to pay for it with his life.

If you or a family member have been injured or killed as the result of negligent security, you need the help of an experienced California personal injury lawyer. Contact an attorney at The Reeves Law Group for a free consultation.

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