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In November of 2022, a married couple said they were served a bottle of water that was “defiled with semen” during their stay at The Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay, a property under the Marriott umbrella. The luxurious, award-winning hotel where rooms start at roughly $650 to $1400 per night, is located in San Mateo County, California, about 25 miles south of San Francisco.

Needless to say, the couple, who considered themselves to be long-time faithful guests of Ritz-Carlton hotels, sued. However the case only might go in the direction they want, because Ritz-Carlton isn’t necessarily playing fair.

What happened

The couple has not been named, and they’re only known as Washington residents Mr. and Mrs. John Doe in court filings.

According to the lawsuit fired in Northern California U.S. District Court, the couple was staying at the Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay while visiting their daughter, who was studying at a nearby university. They were also celebrating Jane doe’s birthday on the day of the incident.

“The couple intended to celebrate her special day at a special place,” the lawsuit said.

The lawsuit continued that after the couple returned to their room following dinner, Jane called the front desk to ask for bottled water.

A male worker “moments later” brought several bottles bearing the Ritz-Carlton logo, and Jane put them on her nightstand and went to bed, according to the lawsuit.

According to the complaint filed on October 12, 2023, Mrs. Doe says she woke up thirsty and drank one of the bottles as Mr. Doe continued to sleep. She said in the suite that she, “knew immediately that something was wrong with the liquid she had just swallowed.” and promptly woke up her husband.

She told Mr. Doe that she suspected the water was, “chemically-contaminated” but then realized the taste was, “similar to semen,” according to the complaint.

“One of the hotel’s employees ejaculated his semen into a Ritz-Carlton labeled water bottle, delivered it to Jane and John Doe’s room, and Jane Doe then drank the semen-contaminated water before she realized it had been defiled by a criminal deviant,” the lawsuit alleged.

Management and police got involved

The Does said they alerted hotel security, spoke to hotel management and asked management to call the police. They also asked hotel management to preserve and secure the water bottle in question.

An officer from the San Mateo Sheriff’s Office arrived at the hotel soon after being called, conducted a “welfare check” and took the Does’ statements. According to Javier Acosta, a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office, Mrs. Doe was offered to be seen by a poison control center, but she refused. Acosta also said an investigation was not conducted on the matter.

Confirmation & lawsuit

In January 2023, Mrs. Doe’s suspicions about the water containing semen were proven to be correct. According to the suit, a claims adjuster from Marriott International, “confirmed to John Doe over the phone that, yes, the lab tests had revealed that the fluid in the water bottle had been defiled with semen.”

However the Does allege that the hotel has refused to provide them or law enforcement with a copy of the lab results. which they say has stalled any investigation. They also claim that the Ritz-Carlton and Marriott, “have refused to turn over the defiled water bottle,” causing further delays in the proceedings. The lawsuit also says that both the Ritz-Carlton and Marriott refuse to disclose the names of the hotel employees who were working on the day of the incident.

“Consequently, law enforcement authorities have been precluded from conducting their own analysis of that evidence, and precluded from cross-referencing the DNA against sex offender registries and other law enforcement databases,” the lawsuit claimed. “The Ritz-Carlton and Marriott International have also refused to disclose the identities of the hotel employees on duty that day so that their backgrounds and criminal histories can be scrutinized.”

All told, the Does are suing for attorney’s fees, expert’s fees, prejudgement interest and several types of damages. The lawsuit accuses The Ritz-Carlton of sexual battery, negligence and loss of consortium, intentional infliction of emotional distress and suggests that the alleged assailant likely victimized “countless other guests” in similar fashion. The couple is seeking damages exceeding $75,000.

“The Ritz-Carlton refused to cooperate with law enforcement’s investigation to identify and apprehend the assailant, and refused to compensate Jane and John Doe for the sexual assault beyond offering them a few measly Marriott rewards points — which, of course, could only be used for another anxiety-inducing stay at a Ritz-Carlton property,” the complaint says.

After the lawsuit was filed in October, 2023, the Ritz-Carlton moved to dismiss the case. However in June 2024, a federal judge denied dismissal.

The case will now go into the investigative phase, which will include, “attempting to discern the identity of the sexual deviant hired by the hotel.”

H/T: Mercury news, et al

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