A Claim Against Harrah's: Negligence Leads to Guest's Assault and Robbery
Woman Files Lawsuit Against Harrah's Joliet Following Assault by Prohibited Individual
Hailing from Joliet, Dana Bass, 46, has taken Harrah's Casino and Hotel to court. She alleges the establishment's negligence in allowing a known hazardous individual - Marquel Jimerson, 30 - to saunter in on February 6, 2024. This individual was banned by the casino, yet somehow managed to check-in.
The Unchecked Arrival of a Dangerous Individual Leads to Attack
Bass's lawsuit, filed in Will County, asserts that the casino's staff failed to exercise caution when allowing Jimerson to enter their premises. The alleged offender, despite being on the casino's restricted list, was able to present his ID to the front desk staff without objection.
According to court documents, staff members did not attempt to monitor or restrain Jimerson's movements. This lax approach permitted him to ascend to the upper floors and eventually reach Bass's room. Security footage captured his movements within the hotel, but security guards did not respond promptly.
Testimony from another criminal trial suggests that Jimerson forcibly entered Bass's room, where he viciously assaulted her, demanded money, and threatened her life. He inflicted numerous blows and made off with her identification documents and cash. A fellow guest who managed to escape alerted security, and police apprehended Jimerson later.
Seeking Compensation: Safety Measures Falling Short
Jimerson remains incarcerated in Will County Jail since his apprehension. In August 2024, a court convicted him of numerous severe crimes, including robbery and domestic battery. His sentencing is set for June 27.
Bass seeks damages exceeding $50,000. She argues that Harrah's failed to uphold its responsibility to safeguard its guests and maintained insufficiently trained security personnel. Her lawyers claim her injuries and ongoing fear are a direct consequence of the casino's subpar security measures.
This is not the first time Harrah's Casino and Hotel in Joliet has been implicated in a disturbing incident. In 2019, a homeless individual infiltrated the hotel and brutally stabbed a 76-year-old guest to death. The case later went to trial, with the casino's parent company, Caesars Entertainment, reaching a settlement. Bass's lawyers cite this incident, alongside others, as evidence suggesting that the casino has consistently struggled to enforce its own safety regulations, potentially placing guests in harm's way. This lawsuit may serve to determine whether the casino has taken any meaningful steps to improve its security processes in response to such incidents.
- In her lawsuit against Harrah's Casino and Hotel, Dana Bass accuses the establishment of negligence by allowing Marquel Jimerson, a known hazardous individual who was banned from the casino, to enter and subsequently assault and rob her.
- In addition to Seeking damages exceeding $50,000, Bass's lawyers argue that the casino's insufficiently trained security personnel failed to uphold their responsibility to safeguard guests, citing precedents such as the 2019 incident involving a homicide, as evidence of the casino's seemingly recurring failure to enforce safety regulations adequately.
