# Embassy Suites In Des Moines Settles Lawsuit With Woman Who Was Raped Inside Her Room



## BrownBetty (Feb 14, 2019)

This is bananas:

An Iowa hotel has settled a lawsuit with a New Jersey woman who was raped and battered after the front desk gave the attacker her room key.

Attorneys for Cheri Marchionda say the operators of the Embassy Suites hotel in Des Moines agreed to a settlement before she was set to testify Wednesday. Terms were not disclosed.

According to court records, Marchionda was staying at the hotel as part of a business trip and was in the hotel's bar when a man, later identified as *Christopher LaPointe of New York, approached her. She rejected LaPointe's advances.*

*She later awoke to find LaPointe in her hotel room touching her leg. He then battered and sexually assaulted her over several hours.*

SEXUAL VIOLENCE IN IOWA: A woman said her husband repeatedly raped her. Almost no one believed her. She's not alone.

*Police later learned that LaPointe had asked the front desk for and been given a key to Marchionda's room, without being asked to show proof that he was registered to the room or even a hotel guest.* *When he had trouble getting in because Marchionda had engaged the door's safety latch, LaPointe convinced a maintenance worker to disable it, telling the worker he had had a fight with his "girlfriend" and she had locked him out of the room.*


The Associated Press typically does not name victims of sexual assault, but Marchionda's attorney, Peter Villari, said she is revealing her name in hopes of serving as an advocate for hotel safety and sexual assault victims.

A Des Moines attorney for Hammons Inc. and Atrium TRS III, the operators of the hotel, did not immediate return a phone message left Wednesday. The Embassy Suites franchise and Hilton Worldwide had earlier been dismissed from the lawsuit.

Villari said his client suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder from the attack, causing her to lose her executive sales job. Her doctor says she'll need a minimum of six months treatment for her PTSD before she can begin working again.

"It's been a long fight for this woman," Villari said. "She's very happy that it's been resolved."
Originally Published 6:47 p.m. EST Feb. 13, 2019

Updated 21 hours ago


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## kikigirl (Feb 14, 2019)

BrownBetty said:


> This is bananas:
> 
> An Iowa hotel has settled a lawsuit with a New Jersey woman who was raped and battered after the front desk gave the attacker her room key.
> 
> ...



What is wrong with this world? They called the maintenance worker to disable the door???!!! Even if he were the legit boyfriend, a woman can’t have her privacy after a disagreement? 

I hope the lady is now a multimillionaire! This is BS!

What is Embassy Suites doing about the culture at their hotels? Are they being put on blast on SM? Hush money ain’t enough in this case. Make’m learn!


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## RoundEyedGirl504 (Feb 14, 2019)

Embassy Suites is still owned by Hilton?  That is absolutely ridiculous, no amount of money can absolve them, but I hope she bled them.


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## Black Ambrosia (Feb 14, 2019)

I hope her employer cut her a big check before letting her go. While they’re not directly responsible she was on a business trip so they can’t wash their hands of the situation.


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## IslandMummy (Feb 14, 2019)

RoundEyedGirl504 said:


> Embassy Suites is still owned by Hilton?  That is absolutely ridiculous, no amount of money can absolve them, but I hope she bled them.


They are a Hilton branded hotel but this one was owned by a franchisee. Hilton wouldn’t be on the hook.

This is an egregious violation and I hope they lost their franchise license, all of their money and close down. That poor woman used a safety latch and still some imbecile let a rapist in her room.


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## BrownBetty (Feb 14, 2019)

I ordered this, door stopper, to travel with.

I do a lot of solo traveling and this story has me shook.


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## MilkChocolateOne (Feb 15, 2019)

BrownBetty said:


> I ordered this, door stopper, to travel with.
> 
> I do a lot of solo traveling and this story has me shook.



I use this one. 







https://www.walmart.com/ip/Brink-s-Door-Security-Bar/37556074

I use it at home too. Especially when my husband is out of town.


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## GinnyP (Feb 17, 2019)

Gheeze!  This is insane!  Poor woman!  I pray she got at least 3.5 million.


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## MrsQueeny (Feb 18, 2019)

This is just crazy! Q


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## PretteePlease (Feb 22, 2019)

so we really have to discuss ordering how not to get raped kits? 
this world ain't fit for women


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## nysister (Feb 23, 2019)

He should be killed. A woman turns you down and then you rape her???

I'll avoid Embassy Suites from now on and will keep pepper spray under my pillow when I travel.


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## Crackers Phinn (Feb 23, 2019)

Embassy Suites franchisee will rightfully have to take this on the chin but I don't think it's so much that it is the hotel chain but that it happened in Iowa.   NY dude would not have bothered to try this in NY.    I bet you every dude involved was a Trump supporter.


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## Farida (Feb 24, 2019)

My job routinely uses embassy suites among other chains for work-related travel. Sounds like this location wasn’t ish...


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## caligirl (Feb 26, 2019)

This is every woman's worst fear.
The hotel failed her on multiple levels


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## Miss_Luna (Feb 26, 2019)

This is so scary. I was in Germany for a work trip and this Nigerian guy on my floor kept calling my room in the middle of the night, asking if I was awake. The door closed slow, so I thought he would sneak in my room while I was leaving out if I stayed there. 

The next morning I immediately went to the front desk and asked to switch rooms. I had them move all my things and just tell me the room number after they'd moved everything. This is my worst nightmare while traveling. Ugh, my stomach is in knots.


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