The New Mexican, reporting from Albuquerque, New Mexico, stated that a family that found themselves being spied on during a hotel stay, through a peephole that was drilled through the wall of their shower, has filed a personal injury lawsuit.
Two of the family members that took showers were a boy aged 17 and a girl aged 8.
The V. family, of Alcalde, had checked into the Ramada Inn located on Menaul Blvd. on April 23, 2010.
When Mrs. V. was allegedly offered a "special rate" for room 135 - Mr. V. had not yet arrived.
On April 24, after waking, each family member in turn took a shower, and each reported that they heard noises coming from behind a wall in the shower stall. Mr. V., having since joining his family in the hotel room, checked over the area.
Under the faucet he detected a hole.
The lawsuit, filed in state District Court on October 25, states, "As (Mr. V.) looked into the hole under the faucet, he saw an eye staring at him from behind the wall. (Mr. V.) immediately hit the tub surround and shouted. He heard someone attempt to leave the area from behind the wall."
Mr. V. then entered the floor's hallway and noticed that a door for maintenance was next to his room. When questioned, the general manager of the hotel, S.B., allegedly told Mr. V. that "the maintenance guy" had been working on some pipe behind the door.
Mr. V. contacted the police. S.B. told the police a different story: He claimed that both he and employee S.G. had been working on a sewer line. And then later: That they had been fixing television cables in the corridor.
The complaint states that an inspection behind the shower stall led to the discovery of an area of removed insulation, which would "afford a clear line of sight into the shower stall."
Additionally, a plastic bucket was strategically placed to offer the viewer a place to sit while using the peephole.
Damages are being sought from limited liability company WCB and its owner Western Commerce Bank of Albuquerque, the parent company of Ramada Inn, Wyndham Worldwide Hotels, and three employees that had access to the peephole.
All three of the named employees have since left their jobs at the hotel.
A new assistant manager, J.H., working at the same hotel now-named "Western Star Inn", claims to know nothing of the lawsuit during his two-week tenure.
The complaint reads, "Since the time that she was spied on, (the 8-year-old girl) has been afraid to take a shower by herself or to stay in a hotel room. The (V.) family no longer feels comfortable staying at a hotel and have canceled trips because of this experience. The unknowing and unwelcome viewing of the Plaintiffs while taking showers has caused and continues to cause Plaintiffs great emotional distress and embarrassment."
The suit seeks damages for negligence, reckless infliction of emotional distress and invasion of privacy.
If you, or members of your family, have been wrongfully harmed by the actions of others, contact a personal injury lawyer to discuss your case. Monetary compensation is often awarded in situations that have caused pain and suffering.