MSJ Victory!

Congratulations to Tim Gravitt and Anthony Gaeta for securing a defense verdict for their clients. The plaintiff in their case alleged she was sexually assaulted while a guest at a hotel. Tim and Anthony represented both the hotel operator and security company providing security services for the hotel.

Plaintiff claimed she was assaulted when a security officer went to perform a wellness check based upon information the hotel had about the guest’s well-being. Tim and Anthony focused their MSJ arguments on the fact the clients were not negligent in hiring the security officer as a matter of law as he had gone through a complete background check with no red flags, had never been convicted of any crimes, and had a spotless record. Second, they focused on the issue of foreseeability. They argued neither the hotel operator nor security company were negligent as a matter of law for the security officer’s alleged assault which was outside the scope of his employment duties and it was not foreseeable that he would commit a willful, violent, and sexual act.

During oral argument, they focused on case law which supported their argument the alleged incident was not foreseeable and, thus, their clients were not negligent as a matter of law. The Los Angeles Superior Court granted the MSJ in full, thus taking their clients out of harm’s way in a multi-million dollar lawsuit.

Congratulations to the entire team who worked so hard to secure this victory for CSCG and their clients. Great way to start 2026!