Casino sued over deadly encounter
Sex Worker and Pimp Accused of Murder: Widow Files Lawsuit Against The Venetian Hotel
Jennifer Jacoby, the widow of a Colorado man who met a tragic end in a Las Vegas hotel room, has taken one of the city's iconic resorts to court. She's accusing Venetian Casino Resort LLC of negligence in the death of her husband, Jeffrey Jacoby, due to alleged security failures.
In an unsettling chain of events, Jeffrey encountered a sex worker and her pimp at the Palazzo hotel casino on March 1, 2023. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, this fatal encounter transpired after Jeffrey spent the evening with Cheylee Kessee and Kashon Glass, two individuals with a history of robbery and victimizing hotel guests—often referred to as "known dangers."
Jennifer learned of her husband's demise hours later when a Palazzo worker made a welfare call on her behalf. The grim discovery of Jeffrey's fentanyl-overdosed body was later made in the hotel room's bathroom.
Negligent oversight
The lawsuit Jennifer filed against Venetian Casino Resort in late February accuses the establishment of failing to intervene amidst the danger posed by Cheylee Kessee and Kashon Glass, whose criminal history suggested a propensity for preying on hotel guests. In particular, the complaint alleges negligent security-related failures against the casino resort, which is owned by Vici Properties and operated by Apollo Global Management.
The lawsuit contends Palazzo security personnel should have been vigilant enough to recognize the danger that Kashon Glass posed to Jeffrey. Furthermore, the lawsuit asserts that the Palazzo could have easily identified the pimp and sex worker as potential threats based on their previously established pattern of preying on hotel guests.
Aggressive negligence
Kessee and Glass, unable to evade justice, eventually pled guilty to charges including voluntary manslaughter and armed robbery. According to a UNLV Boyd School of Law professor, Ben Edwards, the casino's alleged negligence translates into aggressive negligence, which is considered a significant element in Jennifer's lawsuit.
"When you invite guests onto your property, you have an ethical obligation to ensure their safety," said Edwards. This case sets a precedent, as it allows court deliberations to determine whether it was unreasonable for the Palazzo not to keep a watch on high-risk patrons—like Kessee and Glass—and inform guests of any potential threats.
As the legal battle unfolds, Jennifer's lawsuit sheds light on what's at stake when casinos overlook the danger indicators presented by their patrons, potentially endangering the lives of their guests.
- The general news in Las Vegas is dominated by a lawsuit filed by Jennifer Jacoby, the widow of a man who died in a hotel room at the Venetian Casino Resort, accusing the casino of negligence for not taking action against a sex worker and her pimp with a history of crime, who were responsible for her husband's death.
- In an unprecedented move, the lawsuit against the Palazzo, owned by Vici Properties and operated by Apollo Global Management, argues that the casino's negligent security-related failures, which allowed known dangers like Cheylee Kessee and Kashon Glass to harm hotel guests, constitutes aggressive negligence, setting a potential precedent in the casino-and-gambling industry for holding such establishments accountable for guest safety.
