A Las Vegas exotic dancer has filed a lawsuit accusing the club where she worked of failing to protect her. Mayisel Martinez's complaint names The Kitchen, LLC, the company behind Las Vegas Strip Club.
The lawsuit alleges that the club failed to respond adequately to Martinez's safety concerns.
Martinez says she admonished Tamez for his conduct and reported the incident to club security — but that staff allowed him to remain in the champagne room, and a manager instructed her to complete the prepaid dance anyway. Once the session resumed, the complaint states, Tamez disrobed again and began touching himself a second time.
Lawsuit Targets Club's Security Protocols
Martinez's complaint accuses The Kitchen, LLC of negligence, negligent hiring, retention, training and supervision of employees, and intentional infliction of emotional distress, the Review-Journal reports. Against Tamez himself, she alleges assault, battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
The lawsuit alleges that the club failed to adequately train its security staff to recognize and respond to reports of sexual assault, and that it lacked or failed to enforce safety protocols in the champagne room — including panic buttons, monitoring, or mandatory removal of patrons reported for misconduct. Per the same account, the complaint states that security personnel merely warned Tamez, allowed him to remain alone with Martinez, and sent her back to resume the dance rather than removing him or ending the session.
Criminal Case Ended With Plea, Counseling Order
Tamez was arrested by Metro officers and initially charged with gross lewdness and indecent exposure, according to Las Vegas Justice Court records cited by the Review-Journal. Court records show he ultimately pleaded no contest to engaging in lewd conduct in a public place.
As part of that plea, Tamez received a 120-day suspended jail sentence, a one-year stay-out-of-trouble order, a no-contact order with Martinez, a stay-away order barring him from Las Vegas Strip Club, and a requirement to undergo impulse-control counseling, the outlet's report states. The club, located near Interstate 15 and West Harmon Avenue, did not respond to a request for comment, per the same report.
Part of a Broader Pattern in Las Vegas Nightlife Litigation
Martinez's lawsuit lands amid a string of recent negligence claims against Las Vegas nightlife and casino operators. A teenager separately sued rapper Chocolate MC, a Las Vegas nightclub and Boyd Gaming, alleging she was given drugs and alcohol before a 2024 sexual assault, according to the Review-Journal.
Separately, 8 News Now has reported that rapes increased in the Las Vegas Valley in 2024 even as overall violent crime declined faster than the national trend.
Martinez's case now joins that growing list of lawsuits testing how much responsibility Las Vegas venues bear for protecting workers once misconduct is reported.
