WHAT HEELS: Marriott Hotels Says Woman Who Was Raped On Its Premises Wasn’t “Careful” About Her Safety
Defending itself against a lawsuit brought by a 40-year old woman who was raped in front of her young children in the parking garage of the Stamford Hotel & Spa in October 2006, the Marriott hotel chain initially claimed that she had "failed to exercise due care for her own safety and the safety of her children and proper use of her senses and facilities," reports The Associated Press:
Women's advocates said Marriott's handling of the case is every rape victim's nightmare come true - and a major reason why rape remains one of the most underreported crimes, despite changes like shield laws that make a victim's sexual history irrelevant. …
Defenses that blame the victim to some extent are not uncommon, as insurance companies try to minimize their losses. But Jim Nugent, chairman of the litigation section of the Connecticut Bar Association, said doing so in this case would be odd, given the especially horrific nature of a rape witnessed by the victim's children.
"It's just not going to sit well with a jury," Nugent said. "How in the world could this poor woman contribute to that?"
Marriott has since thought the better of pursuing this legal strategy. Aside from its obvious odiousness, if – as the lawsuit claims – there had been other sexual assaults on the property and Marriott had not taken adequate security precautions as a result, the fact pattern would not support the contention that the victim is responsible for being raped.
BTW: Mitt Romney is a member of Marriott's Board of Directors. The Stiletto is curious as to what he thinks of the company's reprehensible reaction to this victim's lawsuit.
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