Suing the Venetian Casino Over a Fatal Encounter
Sex worker and pimp sued by deceased man's widow at The Venetian hotel.
Jennifer Jacoby, the widow of aColorado man who tragically lost his life due to a fatal dose of fentanyl administered by a sex worker and her pimp, has taken legal action against the Venetian Casino Resort LLC. The lawsuit, filed last month and detailed in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, accuses the casino of neglecting security measures that could have potentially prevented her husband's death.
On March 1, 2023, Jeffrey Jacoby, 55, met Cheylee Kessee in a Palazzo bar. Kessee was accompanied by her pimp, Kashon Glass, two convicted felons with a history of robbing and victimizing hotel guests. The trio browsed the casino floor before heading to a cashier's cage area where Jeffrey withdrew $1,000.
When Kessee returned to Jeffrey's hotel room, she stayed less than ten minutes before leaving. A Palazzo staff member, making a welfare call at Jennifer's request several hours later, discovered Jeffrey's lifeless body on the bathroom floor.
The lawsuit, seeking a jury trial, centers on the alleged failures of Palazzo security. According to the complainant, security guards should have alerted Jeffrey about being tailed by Glass, as well as been able to identify the pimp and sex worker due to their criminal past.
The tragedy involving Glass and Kessee resulted in convictions for charges including voluntary manslaughter and robbery with a deadly weapon. Their history, referred to as "known dangers" by UNLV Boyd School of Law Professor Ben Edwards, raises questions about the safety measures in place at the Palazzo.
Edwards opines that since the casino welcomes guests onto its property, it has an obligation to ensure their well-being. "The duties you have to protect against are really dangers you already know about," says Edwards. The court will now decide if it was unreasonable for the Palazzo to have disregarded such risks.
Under premises liability law, casinos like the Venetian Casino Resort LLC have a responsibility to:- Maintain a safe environment.- Implement adequate security to prevent harm from third-party criminal acts.- Train staff to identify and mitigate hazards.- Comply with local regulations for surveillance, lighting, and emergency response protocols.
The specific security obligations of Venetian Casino Resort LLC in this case remain unclear, as the lawsuit itself or case law specific to Jacoby v. Venetian does not provide detailed information. Further analysis based on court documents or authoritative details found in legal databases like Westlaw or LexisNexis would be necessary for more definitive insights.
- Cheylee Kessee and her pimp, Kashon Glass, had a history of robbing and victimizing hotel guests, which raises questions about the safety measures in place at the Palazzo, as Professor Ben Edwards from UNLV Boyd School of Law points out.
- Under premises liability law, casinos like the Venetian Casino Resort LLC have a responsibility to maintain a safe environment, implement adequate security to prevent harm from third-party criminal acts, train staff to identify and mitigate hazards, and comply with local regulations for surveillance, lighting, and emergency response protocols.
- The lawsuit, filed by Jennifer Jacoby against the Venetian Casino Resort LLC, accuses the casino of neglecting security measures that could have potentially prevented her husband's death, highlighting the alleged failures of Palazzo security.
- The court will now decide if it was unreasonable for the Palazzo to have disregarded the known dangers posed by Cheylee Kessee and Kashon Glass, as Edwards suggests that since the casino welcomes guests onto its property, it has an obligation to ensure their well-being.
