Harrah's Lawsuit: Woman Injured During Robbery

JOLIET, IL — A Brookfield woman who was attacked in downtown Joliet by a knife-wielding robber during her visit to Joliet's Harrah's Casino two years ago has filed a civil lawsuit accusing the casino's security staff of negligence, court files show.

Chicago personal injury lawyer George Bliss filed the suit March 23 on behalf of the woman. The lawsuit seeks a jury award in excess of $50,000 against Caesar's Entertainment Corp. and Harrah's Joliet.

On March 24, 2018, the 35-year-old woman was visiting the Joliet casino when she was assaulted, held at knife-point and robbed of her belongings by a man who had been dangerously stalking the valet parking area of the casino premises, her lawyer contends.

The Joliet Police Department arrested 56-year-old Joliet resident Darryl Allen following the attack. Allen's charges of assault and attempted robbery have yet to go to trial at Will County's Courthouse.

According to the woman's lawsuit, "the security personnel employed the corporate defendants was derelict in its duties, which but for this dereliction of duty, would have prevented or otherwise deterred the armed robbery from occurring against plaintiff."

The Brookfield woman suffered a laceration to her neck caused by her attack's knife, anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, agoraphobia, disfigurement, scarring, impaired ability to gain restful sleep, extensive hospitalization, psychological treatment, therapy plus the loss of past and future earning capacity, her lawsuit informs the judge.

Lawyers for Harrah's have yet to file their response to the allegations raised in the woman's lawsuit. Harrah's Casino, like all Illinois gambling casinos, is currently closed to guests amid the coronavirus outbreak.

As for the criminal defendant, Allen, now 58, has remained in Will County's Jail since Joliet police booked him into county detention around 3:25 a.m. March 24, 2018.

Allen, who lived in the 100 block of Illinois Street, remains unable to post 10 percent of his $150,000 bail, jail logs show.