Rivers Casino Pittsburgh Sued on Sexual Harassment, Retaliation Claims

A former employee of Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh who reported multiple instances of sexual harassment by customers is now suing the casino, claiming she was fired for reporting the incidents.

Former casino hostess Geneva Kenney filed a lawsuit on Tuesday in Pennsylvania Western District Court, naming Rivers Casino and Holdings Acquisition as the defendant in a nine-page complaint alleging a single count of retaliation.

Lawsuit Presents Timeline of Harassment from Casino VIPs

In the lawsuit, Kenney documents several instances where she was allegedly harassed by customers at the casino.

Kenney began working at Rivers Casino Pittsburgh on June 7, 2022. 

In October of that year, Kenney says that a frequent guest hugged her and kissed her on the side of the lip, saying, “I kind of snuck that one in there, didn’t I?” According to the lawsuit, Kenney then told her supervisor about what happened.

Less than two weeks later, a guest at a “very, very important person” event approached her and said he was frustrated that he couldn’t take her to a football game on her day off before kissing her hand.

Similar incidents continued to occur in the weeks to come. According to the lawsuit, Kenney announced the winning of a drawing for high rollers on Oct. 31. A customer then allegedly yelled, “You sexy [expletive]! Did you call my name?” after which they proceeded to kiss her on the cheek and ear.

On Nov. 3, the plaintiff was speaking to another casino employee when two guests approached them. In the lawsuit, Kenney says that when she picked something off the floor, one guest fondled her buttocks, while the other made a loud comment about her undergarments.

Ongoing Problems, Allegations of Retaliation

At this point, both Kenney and her coworker filed written statements documenting the sexual harassment. Later, while announcing a drawing winner, the same guest involved in the incident loudly berated her in front of a large crowd because she filed a complaint.

That led Kenney to file a second written statement about the harassment. On Nov. 6, she emailed a manager to say she felt that not enough was being done to control guest behavior. She then complained to another employee the next day after receiving no reply to her email.

According to Kenney, that next week, a casino manager told employees that “what you do with guests, you bring upon yourself.” She alleges that HR later told her that they couldn’t help her with her complaint.

On Dec. 4, the plaintiff says that a customer made a lewd comment directed towards her. After reporting the incident to her supervisors, she was told that the customer was going to be banned for a year. However, Kenney says that the ban was later reduced to less than a month.

Days later, a casino executive allegedly told Kenney that she was being unproductive and questioned why the reported harassment would affect her performance. Kenny was fired on Dec. 29 for alleged insubordination, according to the lawsuit.

Rivers Casino Pittsburgh Has History of Harassment-Related Lawsuits

The lawsuit seeks Kenney’s reinstatement as a host along with lost wages and compensatory damages.

This is not the first time that Rivers Casino Pittsburgh has found itself in trouble after allegations of sexual harassment by a guest.

In 2015, a jury awarded former cocktail waitress Allyson Pelesky $150,000 plus $999,000 in punitive damages, finding that Rivers Casino had violated its zero-tolerance sexual harassment policy after rescinding a lifetime ban against a high roller who was accused of assaulting Pelesky.

In that incident, Pelesky had agreed to press charges against the player after the casino issued the lifetime ban. The ban was lifted just 40 days later.

“From the very beginning, all I asked was that this man did not come back to the casino,” Pelesky said after the verdict. “Whether you’re a waitress or a manager, it doesn’t matter. We just deserve respect wherever.”