A serene weekend escape envisioned by a couple from California turned into an unthinkable nightmare on their arrival at Paris Las Vegas on the summer evening of Friday, June 24, 2022. Greeted by the sparkling lights of the revered establishment, the couple passed over their car keys to a valet attendant, expecting nothing but routine hospitality.
The morning after, as the warm Nevada sun graced the day, Jennifer Marquecho, one half of the couple, returned to the valet with an intention to retrieve her Range Rover. To her utter disbelief, she was informed that the majestic vehicle had already been checked out by an unidentifiable individual the previous night. Someone had infiltrated their hotel room and stealthily pilfered the car ticket, subsequently claiming the vehicle at 11:13 p.m.
Blaming Paris Las Vegas for an egregious act of negligence, Marquecho decided to fight back, taking legal recourse. The lawsuit, filed by Marquecho at Clark County District Court on June 20, alleges that the property owned by Caesars Entertainment failed in their duty of care, not bothering to cross-check the identity of the person who claimed the car with the stolen ticket.
Speaking to KLAS-TV/Las Vegas, a visibly upset Marquecho said, “I just wish something could be done, so this doesn’t happen to anybody else. I would hate for them to live this nightmare. I feel violated.”
In what can only be regarded as a sliver of silver lining, Marquecho was able to locate her Range Rover through a tracking app. It was found near the Boulder Station Hotel and Casino. While there hadn’t been any inflicted damage on the vehicle, its license plate had been swapped with a faux one. Marquecho was hit by another wave of resentment and dread as she discovered that her personal documents and house keys were missing.
Upon reporting the incident to the police, Marquecho was told that there would be no arrests since her car hadn’t been implicated in a crime. This didn’t shake her resolve, and she continues to seek legal relief for damages and compensation for attorney fees through the lawsuit.
A ruling in Marquecho’s favor may send ripples through the Strip properties, potentially leading them to contemplate the necessity of requiring ID verification to both deposit and reclaim vehicles from their valets. The hope is that this unfortunate incident and the consequent lawsuit will bring about changes in the hospitality industry’s security measures to prevent such occurrences in the future.