Marriott Calls Rape Victim “Negligent,” Outs Her to Family & Friends

[FourScore]

Marriott Calls Rape Victim “Negligent,” Outs Her to Family & Friends
By: Teddy Partridge Sunday August 16, 2009 1:30 pm

The Stamford Marriott Hotel & Spa in Connecticut, site of a brutal 2006 rape of a 40-year-old mother in her own car in front of her very young children, has blamed her for the attack and outed her to friends who had no knowledge of the attack.

Via the Feminist Peace Network (h/twitter TexBetsy):

A downtown hotel being sued by a woman raped at gunpoint in its parking garage is claiming she was careless, negligent and "failed to exercise due care for her own safety and the safety of her children and proper use of her senses and facilities," according to court documents.

The victim's attorneys also argue the hotel has inadvertently identified her to acquaintances by asking them to testify.

Hasn't our society progressed beyond the point where the legal system will tolerate blaming a rape victim and her children for her rape and then attempting to shame and silence her by identifying her to previously unknowing friends, neighbors, and work associates?

From Jezebel:

In the papers recently filed by the hotel in preparation for the April trial, the defense claims they hadn't been notified about Fricker, that the attack was beyond their control, and that the woman and her children didn't properly "mitigate their damages." The hotel has subpoenaed several people who know the woman but were not aware of the attack, including family members, friends, a Pilates instructor, tennis partners, and a baby sitter. Attorneys for the woman, who was only identified as Jane Doe in court documents, say the subpoenas identified her to those people and were only filed in an attempt to intimidate her.

If you believe the Stamford Marriott has acted wrongly and contrary to the best interests of the human race in this case, you can act.

I frequently stay at Marriott hotels when I travel, but I will not be doing so until they issue an apology and offer a substantive plan for assuring the safety of all and all customers and particularly women and children, and I urge others to do the same. You can also write to them here.

If this corporation is permitted this defense, it won't be long before other rape-sites and even rapists try it. Blaming the victim is wrong, whether by the rapist or the corporation owning the site of the rape. It musn't be permitted.

UPDATE: I received the following email after I contacted the website above.

Dear Valued Guest,

Thank you for contacting Marriott.

We wish to convey our respect and sympathy for Ms. Doe and her family, who were the victims of a horrendous crime in 2006.

Marriott is profoundly sorry that such a terrible thing happened to the victim of this violent crime. And unfortunately this situation has created a mistaken impression that Marriott lacks respect and concern for Ms. Doe or other victims of violent crime.

However, out of respect for the privacy of the victim and the expectations of the Court in the pending litigation, we are not at liberty to comment on the claims or defenses in this case.

Regards,
Marriott Customer Care

http://firedoglake.com/2009/08/16/marriott-calls-rape-victim-negligent-outs-her-to-family-friends/

[BlooInBloo]

1. Sue those fuckers straight outta business.

[marshall]

2. I don't agree with the "outing her to her friends" accusation

A party that is being tried or sued has got to be able to call defense witnesses, within whatever discretion the judge decides. It is a sad fact about such trials that they are often very brutal.

I'm not sure what the reasons the hotel has for saying she is negligent. If she was out with her kids and was drunk I might consider that negligent. But if she was just trying to get from her car to her room after returning late from whatever function brought her to stay at the motel, then it doesn't seem to be negligent. People who stay in motels are usually involved in some kind of activity, either business or personal, that might keep them out late.

I would be interested to read more details, but I suppose they are suppressed in order to protect the victim.