Lawsuit: Strip hotel guest woke up from a coma after security officers assaulted him

A Los Angeles man was in coma after being pushed to the pavement by a security officer at The Venetian, a lawsuit filed Wednesday alleges.

According to the complaint, security officers at the hotel and casino said they were responding to reports of a man “exposing himself” on Nov. 6, 2022.

Javier Marquez, who was in town celebrating his birthday with his wife, had been wearing his pants sagged below his waist, “consistent with current clothing trends,” the complaint said.

Two security officers identified in the lawsuit as Michael Palmer and William Silvey had described Marquez as being cooperative, according to the complaint. The two men offered Marquez assistance back up to his hotel room, which Marquez declined.

But despite declining, the officers put Marquez in mechanical restraints and a wheelchair, according to the lawsuit, holding him down against his will.

Joined by a third security officer, the men then pushed Marquez onto the pavement with what the complaint described as “excessive force,” causing him to suffer injury to his head, face, jaw, teeth and right eye.

The manager on duty, Alexis Padilla, is also named as a defendant in the lawsuit for allegedly failing to ensure that a report was filed about the incident.

The Venetian did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The lawsuit, filed by the Las Vegas firm Sgro & Roger, also named Las Vegas Sands Corp. as a defendant, even though the incident involving Marquez is alleged to have occurred seven months after Sands closed its sale of The Venetian, Palazzo and their adjoining convention center to Apollo Global Capital.

“That is news to me,” attorney Danielle Dumire said of naming Sands as a defendant. “We had been in communication with The Venetian, and those names that we have in our complaint were who we were in communication with at the time prior to this complaint being filed.”

Of the change in ownership of The Venetian before the incident, Demure said: “If that is the case then we will probably be amending it.”

Lasting impacts

Two days after the incident, on Nov. 8, 2022, Marquez woke up in the hospital from a coma, having also lost several teeth, according to the complaint.

Marquez “continues to suffer mentally and emotionally, haunted by the shock, fear and humiliation of this senseless attack.”

Marquez’s wife, Nancy Marquez, joined her husband as a plaintiff in the case, having also suffered greatly, the complaint said. Nancy Marquez watched her husband endure pain, “witnessing the man she once knew transformed by this traumatic event.”

According to the complaint, the couple’s marriage was “deeply strained by the lasting impact” of Marquez’s injuries. His wife allegedly lost the “companionship, comfort and partnership” that he had once provided and is burdened by her husband’s “ongoing pain and limitations.”

The lawsuit said that Javier Marquez has, since the attack, experienced severe cognitive decline and now struggles with mental tasks. His ability to operate his business was also compromised, causing financial hardship.

The Review-Journal is owned by the Adelson family, including Dr. Miriam Adelson, majority shareholder of Las Vegas Sands Corp., and Las Vegas Sands President and COO Patrick Dumont.

A previous version of this story incorrectly identified the owner of The Venetian.

Contact Estelle Atkinson at eatkinson@reviewjournal.com. Follow @estellelilym on X and @estelleatkinsonreports on Instagram.