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Hotel sued over mannequin fright

Posted On: May. 22, 2017 4:14 PM CST

Hotel sued over mannequin fright

A California man is suing a Las Vegas hotel, claiming a life-sized mannequin in his darkened room caused him to flee and suffer injuries, according to the Associated Press.

Kent Jacobs Boutwell, of Southern California, filed the lawsuit on May 15 against the Planet Hollywood casino-hotel in Clark County, Nevada, District Court, claiming a life-sized human figure in a darkened room is dangerous and hazardous and that Planet Hollywood should warn its customers about the mannequins. 

Mr. Boutwell claimed he was shocked by a human figure when he entered his darkened hotel room along the Las Vegas Strip in May 2015, the Associated Press reported Friday. As he tried to escape the room thinking that there was a person inside who was there to hurt him, he said he suffered serious injuries, according to the wire service.

The human figure was a mannequin wearing a “Miller Lite” racing suit that was locked in a glass cabinet.

The lawsuit claims Mr. Boutwell suffered undefined injuries to his body, limbs, organs, mind and nervous system, resulting in conditions that may be permanent and disabling. He is seeking at least $10,000 in damages, the Associated Press reported.

Meanwhile, Caesars Entertainment, which owns the hotel, declined to comment on the lawsuit, citing pending litigation. On the use of mannequins in their nearly 2,500 hotel rooms, a spokeswoman told a reporter that Planet Hollywood has traditionally been decorated with memorabilia, which is now being removed as part of a renovation.