Aria Casino in Las Vegas Sees Maryland Attorney File Discrimination Lawsuit

Maryland attorney files discrimination lawsuit at Las Vegas Aria casino

A Maryland attorney claims in a federal lawsuit that she was racially profiled by security guards at her casino hotel.

Tamika Hawkins, a black woman, claims in the lawsuit that she is a lawyer who advises "some of the most prominent global brands." She lives in Bowie, Maryland, just northeast of the nation's capital, and visited Las Vegas in April 2022 to celebrate a friend's 50th birthday party.

Hawkins claimed that she and her then-fiancé checked into the Aria Resort & Casino on the morning of April 22, 2022. Two days later, on April 24, Hawkins said she started early. But after entering the casino parking lot to pick up her car around 6:30 a.m. local time, she claims she was mistakenly detained by unidentified Aria security.

The guards allegedly asked her to go with them to the resort security office. Hawkins said she was forced to wait outside the office for more than 45 minutes "given the number of other guests coming through."

False identity

In her three lawsuits, Hawkins claims she was unlawfully discriminated against and falsely imprisoned. Their lawsuit also alleges that Aria Resort & Casino Holdings, LLC, the subsidiary of MGM Resorts that operates Aria on the Las Vegas Strip, was negligent in training and supervising security personnel.

Hawkins claimed she was never told she could leave and was given the impression that "violence would be used against her" if she tried to leave. She added that "she was treated differently from other guests and invitees in public spaces because of her race."

In addition to Aria, Hawkins names three unidentified security guards as defendants in the lawsuit, named Karina Doe, Sean Doe and John Dow.

Defendants willfully disregarded Plaintiffs’ state and federal rights by denying Plaintiffs the use and enjoyment of the benefits, privileges, contractual terms and conditions afforded to other similarly situated guests who were not African American,” reads the lawsuit.

Hawkins claims she has suffered and continues to suffer irreparable loss and harm as a result of her detention in what appears to be a case of mistaken identity. The lawsuit does not explain why the security team believed Hawkins needed to be questioned.

She said the incident caused anxiety, fear, humiliation, embarrassment, emotional distress, racial stigma, heightened feelings of vulnerability and "unlawfully deprived her of her state and federal protected rights to exercise and enjoy equal treatment."

Ask for compensation

Hawkins did not specify any monetary damages that could resolve the incident, instead asking a federal district court in Nevada to grant her a jury trial to review the charges.

Hawkins wants the jury to decide whether Aaliyah was at fault and what type of punitive damages she should receive. She said the awards should "adequately compensate the defendants for the humiliation, embarrassment, emotional distress, racial stigma, heightened feelings of vulnerability and emotional distress caused by their unlawful and tortious conduct."