Boyd Gaming named in negligence lawsuit over alleged assault of a minor at Orleans Las Vegas

Boyd Gaming, which owns the Orleans Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, has been named as a defendant in a civil lawsuit linked to an alleged sexual assault of a minor at the property. The plaintiff's attorneys argue that hotel staff did not assess the situation and step in when they should have.

The suit centres on Cuban rapper Yosvanis Sierra Hernandez, known as Chocolate MC. He is accused of attempted sexual assault against a teenager in an Orleans hotel room, after the minor allegedly consumed alcohol and drugs at the Masque Nightclub during a New Year's Eve party in 2024. The claims against him include sexual battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

Masque Nightclub is accused of serving alcohol to an underage person and of repeated negligence. The plaintiff's lawyers also claim that Orleans Hotel & Casino staff failed to protect the teenager and were not properly trained to recognise dangerous situations. According to the complaint, employees should have noticed that Hernandez was bringing a visibly impaired minor into the venue, yet no one prevented him from taking the victim to his room.

The plaintiff is seeking more than $15,000 in damages, a figure that excludes additional relief, counselling costs and legal fees. The allegations have not been proven in court.

Police reports indicate that Hernandez has not been criminally charged in connection with this incident. He was, however, found guilty in 2025 of a murder-for-hire plot targeting the man charged with killing singer El Taiger, in which he allegedly offered prison inmates $20,000. He was also involved in a separate kidnapping case and was ultimately sentenced to 10 years in prison and five years of probation.

The case adds to the wider discussion of duty-of-care obligations for casino resorts. As a point of precedent, in April 2025 a California woman won a $15 million award from the Cosmopolitan in a negligence case over unsafe conditions caused by spilled water. If the claims here succeed, the case could carry reputational and financial consequences for the Orleans and the nightclub.