The Marriott hotel chain, defendant in a lawsuit brought by a woman who was raped at gunpoint in a hotel garage in front of her children, initially claimed that the woman was negligent. Marriott has now changed its tune... sorta
This diary discussed a defense theory raised by the Marriott hotel chain after a woman was raped at gunpoint in a garage structure, in the presence of her children, in the afternoon. The perp had allegedly been loitering around the garage for a while, had been caught on surveillance videotape, and had been the subject of complaints by hotel guests.
The woman was seeking monetary damages to cover the cost of therapy sessions for her children.
The hotel decided to play hardball, as the above-referenced diary indicates, and alleged that the woman had "failed to exercise due care for her own safety and the safety of her children," ages 3 and 5.
However, the defense theory became a news item, and the reaction was pretty strong, here and elsewhere.
Apparently realizing that it had a PR disaster on its hands, Marriott has now changed its tune... sorta.
Marriott now says it's "profoundly sorry that such a terrible thing happened." The Bethesda, Maryland-based hotel chain says the situation has "created a mistaken impression that Marriott lacks respect" for victims of violent crimes. "We wish to convey our respect and sympathy for Ms. Doe and her family, who were the victims of a horrendous crime in 2006," the statement said.
It continued:
"Marriott is profoundly sorry that such a terrible thing happened to the victim of this violent crime. And unfortunately this situation has created a mistaken impression that Marriott lacks respect and concern for Ms. Doe or other victims of violent crime.
"However, out of respect for the privacy of the victim and the expectations of the Court in the pending litigation, we are not at liberty to comment on the claims or defenses in this case."