TS Businesswoman Beaten By Hotel Guards

By TGF Wire Services


Beverly Hills, CA
May 30, 1997

Terri Nicole Hess, Chairperson and CEO of one of the world's largest adult entertainment and adult mail-order companies, was handcuffed and savagely beaten by six security guards at the posh and exclusive Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills.

As a result of the attack, Ms. Hess was forced to seek medical treatment for the injuries she sustained because of repeated blows that were administered by hotel security guards.

According to Ms. Hess, she was assaulted because she is transgendered. A frequent guest of the Hotel, Ms. Hess believes she was singled out by Hotel security personnel who "chose to send a message to transsexuals that they are not welcome at the Peninsula Hotel." Ms. Hess added that "this time, they picked on the wrong person."

The Peninsula Hotel is an exclusive getaway for many of Hollywood's most glamorous celebrities and corporate executives. Located at the corner of Wilshire and Little Santa Monica Boulevards, the Hotel is the only Five Star/Five Diamond hotel in Beverly Hills.

Following the assault, Ms. Hess retained legal counsel and is planning to file a lawsuit against those who were involved in the assault against her and against the Hotel.

"I was viciously assaulted by six security guards who beat me with their fists and kicked me mercilessly because I used the ladies restroom," said Ms. Hess. "It saddens me to think that a paying guest of the most exclusive Hotel in Beverly Hills could be subjected to the most brutal form of discriminatory treatment imaginable."

According to Ms. Hess, she was overpowered and assaulted by six Hotel security personnel as she left the ladies restroom in The Club Bar at the Hotel the evening of May 16th. "I was returning to The Club Bar to rejoin a friend when the assault began," said Ms. Hess. "Within minutes the guards had kicked and beaten me, handcuffed me and forced me out of public view to a secluded garage area of the Hotel. As the garage door was closing, the chief of security said `no one will ever know what happens to you in this room.'"

Ms. Hess said that the security guards never once identified themselves to her as Hotel personnel. She said the beating by the Hotel security guards did not cease until Beverly Hills police officers arrived at the scene. Hotel personnel lied to police that Ms. Hess had assaulted them.

"Their claim that I assaulted them was a lie devised to cover up their unconscionable actions," said Ms. Hess. "I have been a guest of the Hotel on numerous occasions because I prefer the privacy and intimacy of its surroundings. I would never contemplate initiating such behavior."

"While I am saddened by the whole affair, I will not take this kind of discriminatory abuse passively," said Ms. Hess. "The simple truth of the matter is that I was attacked because I am a transsexual. The individuals who attacked me, and the Hotel which has condoned their behavior, were acting out their personal bias against me," she said.

"This assault should serve as a warning to others who have chosen a different lifestyle that you are not safe from discriminatory violence, even if you are a professional businesswoman or a guest at an exclusive Hotel or Club in Beverly Hills," said Ms. Hess.

The District Attorney's office is currently investigating the incident. Ms. Hess said she intends to file her lawsuit sometime in the coming weeks.

Ms. Hess's company, DechTar Direct (http://www.dechtar.com) is headquartered in San Francisco. She founded it in 1989, and, under her leadership, it has grown to become the largest advertising company in North America specializing in adult entertainment and adult mail-order industries. DechTar recently began selling common stock to the public as part of a $24 million public offering.

In addition to her successful business career, Ms. Hess has also modeled, most recently for internationally renowned erotic artist Olivia De Berardinis. She is reported to be the first transsexual ever to be painted by Olivia.

Ms. Hess maintains a personal e-mail address which can be reached at nicole@dechtar.com .


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