Famous hotel in Miami Beach gets involved in a legal scandal
The Catalina Hotel, placed in Miami Beach, and once the set of the reality series The Catalina, produced in 2012 by the CW network, is the subject of similar demands from two tourists who argue that the manager of the establishment accompanied one of them to his room, and then he sexually abused both.
The event, according to the lawsuits filed in a Miami-Dade County Circuit Court, allegedly happened a year ago. In court documents, women are identified only as Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2. With prices around $ 200 and a bar open every night from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., the Catalina, located at 1732 Collins Avenue, has become a popular place among spring break vacationers. On the other hand, in February 2017, according to the litigations, hotel manager Leonardo Somarriba supposedly accompanied Jane Doe 2 to her room after the woman alongside Jane Doe 1 "consumed several alcoholic beverages" during happy hour.
When they reached the room, Jane Doe 1 was asleep in her bed. "Once inside, Somarriba forced both women to have sex with him and, among other things, he gave oral sex to both of them when they were almost unconscious," the court case states.
The negligence claim also blames the hotel for offering alcohol for free without setting protection rules into practice. The lawyer of the two accusers did not respond to the calls made to him. As for his part, Thomas Fabricio, the hotel's lawyer, refused to comment.
Finally as a response last month, Fabricio wrote that the women acted so neglectfully that they incited the aggression. A hotel receptionist said that Somarriba stopped working at the Catalina "a few months ago".
Interesting facts about this case point out that The CW series ironically presents the hotel as a permanent party site where employees and guests frequently interact. Also, last month, WPLG-Channel 10 reported that health inspectors ordered the closure of the hotel's sushi restaurant, Fung Ku, after they found between "30 and 35 cockroaches" living in a refrigerator.
The TV show in question aired for the first time on May 29, 2012. Critics called the series "a Jersey Shore wannabe", adding "The Catalina feels like a fairly sedate knockoff of numerous concepts.” As a result of the poor reception of the reality series, on June 14 the CW announced the end of the televise endeavor.
