Lafayette Hotel faces lawsuit for allegedly failing to protect woman during brutal eight hour guest assault

San Diego hotel faces a lawsuit for failing to protect a guest from a known dangerous individual, allegedly violating California human trafficking training laws.

By: AXL Media

Published: Mar 5, 2026, 4:29 AM EST

Source: The information in this article was sourced from ABC 10News

Legal Action Against Historic San Diego Institution

A San Diego resident, filing under the pseudonym Jane Doe, has initiated a civil lawsuit against the historic Lafayette Hotel following a traumatic ordeal that occurred in 2021. According to court documents, the plaintiff was subjected to an eight hour period of battery and torture inside one of the hotel’s rooms. The perpetrator, Darrain Perkins, has already been sentenced to 140 years to life in prison for these criminal acts, but the new litigation seeks to hold the property owners and management accountable for what the victim describes as a catastrophic failure in guest safety and oversight.

Ignored Warnings and Staff Harassment

The lawsuit details a series of red flags that allegedly occurred in the three weeks leading up to the violent encounter. Records indicate that Perkins, while a guest at the hotel, had allegedly engaged in the persistent harassment of female employees, including following a housekeeper and making unwanted sexual advances. Despite the housekeeper informing her supervisors that she no longer felt safe on the premises because the guest was dangerous, management reportedly opted to move Perkins to a different floor rather than removing him from the property entirely.

Allegations of Negligent Management and Security

Legal counsel for the plaintiff, including attorneys Allison Worden and Max Halpern, argue that the hotel had a clear legal obligation to protect individuals once a threat was identified. The suit claims that while supervisors were concerned enough to tell female staff not to enter Perkins' room without a male escort, no such precautions were extended to the public or the victim. Furthermore, the legal team points to a lack of security presence on the night of the attack, suggesting that a roaming guard following standard procedures would have likely heard the victim's cries for help.