Woman Sues MGM Grand Over Alleged Assault During Massage

A Tennessee woman is suing MGM Resorts International and several MGM‑affiliated entities, alleging the company failed to protect her from a spa employee who she claims sexually assaulted her during a massage at the MGM Grand Spa in 2024.

The complaint, filed Friday (Sept. 4) in Clark County District Court, claims MGM’s negligence enabled the assault and that the company ignored warning signs about the therapist’s conduct.

According to the woman’s lawsuit, she and her husband were staying at the MGM Grand on Sept. 7, 2024 when she arrived for a massage with Steven Thomas, a licensed therapist she had seen on previous visits without incident. Spa staff instructed her to remove undergarments and lie face‑down on the massage table, a standard practice at the spa.

The woman alleges she fell asleep during the appointment and awoke to “repeated digital penetration” by Thomas. The filing describes her as “naked, exposed, and completely vulnerable,” and says she feared the assault would escalate. She told investigators she clamped her legs together, asked to use the restroom, grabbed her robe, and left the treatment room to alert spa employees and request police.

Civil Charges

The lawsuit argues MGM is responsible because Thomas was performing spa services as part of his job. It also claims MGM had actual or constructive knowledge of prior misconduct involving spa or hotel employees, though the complaint does not list specific earlier cases.

The woman’s attorneys accuse MGM of failing to conduct meaningful background checks, failing to train staff on professional boundaries, and failing to monitor employees who allegedly displayed concerning behavior.

The suit names MGM Resorts International, MGM Grand Hotel LLC, MGM Grand Spa and Salon, and other MGM‑related entities. It alleges negligence, negligent hiring and supervision, vicarious liability, breach of contract, and breach of the covenant of good faith and fair dealing. The complaint also claims MGM acted with “malice, oppression and conscious disregard” for guest safety.

Therapist Not a Defendant

Thomas is not a defendant in the civil suit, but his criminal case is detailed in court records. He was initially charged with felony sexual assault and ordered to stay away from the woman. On or about Feb. 6, 2025, he pleaded guilty to open or gross lewdness, a gross misdemeanor. That plea was withdrawn in July 2025. In November 2025, he entered a no‑contest plea to misdemeanor battery.

He was sentenced to 364 days in prison.

After a May 2025 disciplinary hearing, the Nevada State Board of Massage Therapy separately suspended Thomas’s license, having found by a preponderance of the evidence that he committed sexual misconduct during the massage. His request for reconsideration was denied.

The woman seeks more than $15,000 in damages, along with medical costs, lost wages, diminished earning capacity, attorney fees, interest, and punitive damages.

MGM did not immediately comment on the lawsuit.