A woman is suing uptown's Omni Hotel, saying a bartender there bought her a drink that made her dizzy, then forced his way into her hotel room and raped her.
The suit, filed Monday, names several parties as defendants, including the hotel chain, unidentified security guards and a bartender identified only by the first name "Santiago."
The general manager of the Omni Hotel in Charlotte said the allegations are false, and that no charges had been brought by police.
The suit says the crime happened in September 2007, when the woman says she was the invited guest of someone staying at the four-diamond luxury hotel in uptown Charlotte.
While she was there, the lawsuit says, a bartender identified only as "Santiago" offered to buy her a drink.
She accepted the drink and soon afterward "experienced dizziness, became ill and was rendered helpless," according to the lawsuit.
While she was in her hotel room, the suit says, the bartender forced his way in and raped her.
The woman, who is suing the hotel for an unspecified amount, says the hotel knew or should have known that the bartender had done similar things in the past and should have taken appropriate measures to ensure the welfare of hotel guests.
The suit also claims the hotel doesn't have adequate security measures, like cameras in the hallways for video surveillance.
Reached Tuesday afternoon, the hotel's general manager said the company will fight the lawsuit.
"What I can tell you is that we investigated 100 percent with the authorities," said Charlie Kingston, the general manager. "To the best of my knowledge, there were no criminal charges brought as a result of that."
He added: "The safety and security of our guests and associates is of the utmost importance to us." Staff researcher Maria David contributed.
By Cleve R. Wootson Jr.
cwootson@charlotteobserver.com