Lawsuit alleges MGM failed to protect guest from spa massage therapist

A Tennessee woman has filed a lawsuit accusing MGM Resorts International and affiliated entities of negligence for failing to protect her from a spa therapist who sexually assaulted her during a massage at the MGM Grand in September 2024. According to a complaint filed Friday in District Court, the plaintiff was visiting the MGM Grand spa on Sept. 7, 2024, when she was assaulted by massage therapist Steven Thomas during a session arranged by her husband. The Las Vegas Review-Journal typically does not name individuals who say they are victims of sexual assault. The woman said she had previously visited the spa and received massages from Thomas without incident. Following the spa’s recommendations, she wore no undergarments during the massage and was instructed to lie face‑down on the massage bed, the complaint states. She reported falling asleep during the session and awakening to “repeated digital penetration” by Thomas, as alleged in the filing. The complaint includes the following quoted statement from the plaintiff: “Totally vulnerable, bare and exposed, and fearing for her safety, specifically that the unwanted, unconsented, improper assault, battery and sexual assault would continue or escalate, Plaintiff immediately squeezed her thighs together,” the complaint states. “Thinking quickly, Plaintiff asked to use the restroom. She got off the table, grabbed her robe and rushed out of the room to the spa front desk to tell them she had been assaulted, battered and sexually assaulted by their employee and to alert authorities.” Attorneys for the woman did not respond to a request for comment. MGM Grand Hotel LLC and MGM Grand Spa and Salon are named as defendants in the suit. An MGM spokesperson said the company could not immediately provide comment on Tuesday. Steven Thomas is not listed as a defendant. Court records show he was initially charged with felony sexual battery and ordered by a Las Vegas Justice Court judge to stay away from the woman. He later pleaded guilty to open or gross lewdness in July 2025; that plea was withdrawn, and he pleaded no contest to misdemeanor battery in November, according to District Court records. Thomas also did not respond to a request for comment. The plaintiff alleges that MGM “had actual and/or constructive notice and/or knowledge that its spa employees, particularly including massage therapists sexually assaulted MGM Spa guests,” the complaint says. The filing accuses MGM of acting with “malice, oppression and conscious disregard for the safety, health and well-being of its guests,” including the woman who brought the suit. It claims MGM failed to conduct a “reasonable and adequate investigation” of employees such as Thomas before and during their employment, failed to train staff on proper professional etiquette, boundary‑setting and spa service performance, failed to supervise Thomas, and continued to employ workers despite prior behavior, tendencies or histories that should have warned the company they might harm someone on the property. The alleged sexual battery resulted in medical expenses, lost wages and diminished earning capacity, the complaint notes. The plaintiff seeks past and future damages exceeding $15,000, as well as special and exemplary damages to be determined by the court, plus attorney fees.