Colorado Man Says MGM Grand Security Gave Him Brain Injury After Women’s Restroom Incident

A Colorado man has filed a federal lawsuit against MGM Grand, claiming security officers tackled him inside his hotel room, leaving him with a mild traumatic brain injury, a fractured arm, a dislocated shoulder, and over $166,000 in medical expenses.

Denis Matthew Lanctot alleges the July 5, 2024, confrontation began following an incident involving his girlfriend, Tiffany Goldman, in a ground-floor women’s restroom at the Las Vegas Strip resort.

According to the complaint, MGM security officers entered the restroom while Goldman was inside, causing her to scream. Lanctot entered the facility to check on her well-being before security personnel ordered him to vacate the area.

Lanctot states that he and Goldman were subsequently escorted by multiple security officers to their hotel room to gather their personal belongings and depart the property.

While inside the guest room, Lanctot alleges several guards suddenly rushed and tackled him to the floor without warning or provocation.

MGM Grand has formally denied all material allegations of wrongdoing in its court filings.

Extensive Physical Injuries & Medical Damages

Lanctot was transported by ambulance to Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center, according to his legal counsel. Treating physicians diagnosed him with a dislocated left shoulder and a humeral shaft fracture, performing a shoulder reduction under sedation.

The plaintiff claims he subsequently required extensive ongoing care for persistent shoulder, spinal, and neurological symptoms. Later medical evaluations diagnosed a Bankart lesion, a Hill-Sachs deformity, and a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) with post-concussion syndrome.

In a Sept. 3 motion seeking an exemption from Nevada’s mandatory court arbitration program, Lanctot’s attorneys calculated past and anticipated future medical costs at $166,815.50. The figure incorporates more than $69,000 in accrued treatment costs alongside projected expenses for prospective therapeutic injections and corrective surgeries.

Lanctot is suing MGM Grand Hotel, LLC for negligence, negligent hiring, supervision, and retention, alongside counts of assault and battery against unnamed security staff. The suit demands compensatory damages, punitive damages, lost wages, and legal costs.

Jurisdictional Dispute Over Federal Removal

MGM transferred the lawsuit from Nevada state court to the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada on Oct. 2, asserting diversity jurisdiction based on state citizenship and the monetary amount in controversy.

However, on Oct. 6, U.S. Magistrate Judge Nancy J. Koppe challenged the procedural move, ordering both parties to confer on potentially remanding the case back to state court. If the parties fail to reach a stipulation, MGM must file an amended jurisdictional disclosure statement by Oct. 13.