According to a lawsuit filed by a Washington state couple, they visited a luxury resort in California and had a horrifying experience. The couple, known as John and Jane Doe in court documents, stayed at the Ritz-Carlton in Half Moon Bay, a Marriott International property, and Jane allegedly drank from a contaminated water bottle.
But the couple said the water didn't contain chemicals or food or germs; instead, it was tainted with the sperm of a male employee. The Ritz-Carlton allegedly offered the couple Marriott rewards points, but they say they want more than a free night.
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The stay started fine.
John and Jane booked the stay at the $800 per night resort for November 2022, the Daily Mail reported. They were reportedly in town to visit their daughter and to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday.
According to Jane, the couple realized they were out of water when they returned to their room on the evening of November 18, and Jane called down to the reception desk requesting more, according to KTVU.
A man allegedly arrived at the room minutes later with bottled water.
The lawsuit alleges a hotel employee brought Ritz-Carlton branded water bottles to the couple, who had no reason to believe there was anything suspicious about them. When Jane drank from one of the bottles in the middle of the night, she reportedly knew something was wrong and called the front desk.
Jane claimed it appeared to be tainted with chemicals before becoming concerned there was semen in the bottle, the lawsuit states.
Jane was understandably distraught.
The alleged incident infuriated the couple, per the Daily Mail. Jane was "was mortified, terrified, embarrassed, and humiliated, but shared her suspicion with her husband, who then asked the hotel security and management representatives to call the police," the lawsuit states.
According to the suit, the couple requested the bottle be sent to a lab for testing and alleged the only concession the hotel made was offering them Marriott rewards points. The couple, who have been married 25 years, said they have stayed at Marriott-branded hotels at least 600 times but this was a first, the Daily Mail reported.
A hotel representative reportedly contacted the couple months later with testing results.
The hotel confirmed the substance in the water was human semen on January 12, 2023. Still, the lawsuit says Marriott allegedly would not work with police to perform DNA testing to identify who the sperm came from. The couple wants the man to be prosecuted.
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The lawsuit claims Jane was sexually assaulted.
The couple wants DNA tested across sex offender registries and other law enforcement databases, KTVU reported. The couple also requested Marriott put in place better screening processes when hiring new employees. They believe lax practices allowed a "criminal deviant" to assault a patron sexually.
Per KTVU, the plaintiffs are not identifying themselves, and neither is anyone from the hotel chain. There are reportedly at least 10 unidentified defendants in the lawsuit, which claims, "Defendants acted wrongfully, maliciously, intentionally, and negligently."
John and Jane Doe want a jury trial to recover damages from Marriott International and Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company LLC.
