Helpful gesture takes a turn, woman injured after ‘horseplay’ — or assault

By Stephen Floyd, Ashland.news

A lawsuit against an Ashland hotel by a woman who was allegedly assaulted by a guest in 2020 has been dismissed for lack of action by the plaintiff.

On March 24, a lawsuit by Sierra Holleman of Talent against Ashland Springs Hotel was dismissed in Jackson County Circuit Court “for want of prosecution,” according to court filings.

Holleman had filed suit Dec. 21, 2022, seeking $95,000 for an incident Dec. 24, 2020, when she was allegedly grabbed by a drunken guest. 

Holleman said she had helped the man, a Portland resident, enter his room because he was too inebriated to unlock the door.

Holleman’s suit said she and a friend remained with the man and one of his friends for around an hour, then when the women were ready to leave the man allegedly grabbed and picked up Holleman to prevent her from going, then fell to the ground, causing her face to strike the floor, resulting in a concussion, split lip and other soft tissue injuries.

The man was not criminally prosecuted for the incident. He was named as a defendant in Holleman’s suit, along with hotel owner Neuman Hotel Group and unnamed hotel employees working at the time.

On Feb. 7, the hotel denied wrongdoing and said Holleman’s injuries were the result of “voluntary horseplay” after the four individuals allegedly spent the hour drinking. Defendants offered a different version of events, claiming the fall was caused after Holleman allegedly jumped on the man’s back.

The Portland man and Holleman settled the matter out of court for undisclosed terms, according to a Feb. 22 filing.

The following day, a notice was issued that the case against the hotel would be dismissed if parties took no further action. No further action resulted and the case was dismissed March 24 by order of Judge Benjamin Bloom.

Email Ashland.news reporter Stephen Floyd at [email protected].