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LAS VEGAS (AP) — A tourist is suing a Las Vegas Strip hotel, claiming a life-sized mannequin in his darkened room caused him to flee and suffer injuries.
Kent Jacobs Boutwell, of Southern California, filed the lawsuit Monday against the Planet Hollywood casino-hotel in Clark County District Court, seeking at least $10,000 in damages.
"I've got some experience handling hotel casino cases," said Boutwell's lawyer, Richard Johnson. "This was certainly a new set of facts."
Caesars Entertainment declined to comment on the lawsuit, citing pending litigation. On the use of mannequins in their nearly 2,500 hotel rooms, a spokeswoman said Planet Hollywood has traditionally been decorated with memorabilia, which is now being removed as part of a renovation that will wrap up this year.
Boutwell said he was shocked and surprised by a human figure when he entered his darkened hotel room in the heart of the Strip in May 2015. As he tried to escape the room thinking that there was a person inside who was there to hurt him, he said he suffered serious injuries.
It turned out that the human figure was a mannequin wearing a "Miller Lite" racing suit that was locked in a glass cabinet.
The lawsuit claims he suffered undefined injuries to his body, limbs, organs, mind and nervous systems, resulting in conditions that may be permanent and disabling.
The lawsuit claims a life-sized human figure in a darkened room is dangerous and hazardous and that Planet Hollywood should warn its customers about the mannequins.
Boutwell said the incident has left him limited in what he can do for work and fun, including a loss of life enjoyment. He's seeking damages to cover his medical bills, attorney fees, pain and suffering and wages and earning potential.
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