A lawsuit filed by a Tennessee woman alleges that MGM Resorts International and other MGM-related entities were negligent and failed to protect her from a spa employee who sexually assaulted her during a massage at an MGM Grand spa in 2024.
The woman alleged in a complaint, filed Friday in District Court, that she was visiting the MGM Grand spa Sept. 7, 2024, when she was sexually assaulted by massage therapist Steven Thomas during a massage appointment scheduled by her husband.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal typically does not identify people who say they are victims of sexual assault.
The woman said she had visited the spa during previous stays and had 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, according to the complaint.
The woman said she fell asleep during the massage and awoke to “repeated digital penetration” by Thomas, the complaint alleged.
“Totally vulnerable, naked 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 advise she has been assaulted, battered and sexually assaulted by their employee and to alert authorities.”
Attorneys representing the woman did not respond to a request for comment.
MGM Grand Hotel LLC and MGM Grand Spa and Salon are among the defendants named in the lawsuit. An MGM spokesperson could not immediately provide comment Tuesday.
Thomas is not named as a defendant. He was initially charged with felony sexual assault and was ordered by a Las Vegas Justice Court judge to stay away from the woman, according to court records, but he pleaded guilty to open or gross lewdness in July 2025. The plea was later withdrawn and he pleaded no contest to misdemeanor battery in November, District Court records show.
Thomas did not respond to a request for comment.
The woman 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 said.
The complaint accuses MGM of acting with “malice, oppression and conscious disregard for the safety, security and well-being of its guests,” including the woman who filed the suit.
The lawsuit alleges MGM failed to perform a “reasonable and adequate investigation” of employees, including Thomas, prior to and through their employment.
The lawsuit also alleges that MGM failed to adequately train employees on appropriate professional etiquette, boundary-setting and the performance of spa services; failed to monitor Thomas; and continued to employ workers despite past behavior, tendencies and histories that should have warned MGM they might harm someone on the property, including the woman.
The alleged sexual assault led the woman to incur expenses for medical care and treatment, as well as lose wages and earning capacity, according to the complaint. She is seeking past and future damages in excess of $15,000, as well as special damages and exemplary damages to be determined by the court, and legal fees.
Contact Casey Harrison at charrison@reviewjournal.com. Follow @Casey_Harrison1 on X.
