An Afro-Latina trans woman is suing Hilton, claiming she was assaulted earlier this year by an employee of one of the hotel chains locations in Dallas, Texas.As The Dallas Voice reports, the lawsuit, filed December 9, indicates that Nebraska resident Kimberly Barnett was staying at the Hilton Dallas Lincoln Centre from June 20 to 24 while attending LGBTQ+ Pride events in the city. Upon returning to the hotel around 3:45 a.m. on June 24, Barnett was approached in the lobby by a hotel employee identified as Jeremy Morton. According to the lawsuit, Morton identified himself as hotel security and offered to take her car keys to the hotels valet parking service. Related A trans woman secretly recorded her doctors during cancer surgery. Shes suing over what she heard. After handing her keys over to Morton, Barnett went to her 20th-floor room. According to the lawsuit, Morton showed up at Barnetts door around 4:15 a.m. with a stack of towels she had not requested and forced his way partially into her room.Morton forced his way into the doorway, grabbed [Barnett] by her waist, fondled her breast and buttocks and proceeded to kiss her neck, the lawsuit states, according to The Dallas Voice. Morton also allegedly told Barnett, Im going to eat your p***y. Never Miss a Beat Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights. Subscribe to our Newsletter today The lawsuit notes that Barnetts fear in the moment was exacerbated by the fact that she was unsure whether Morton was aware that she was trans. As a trans woman, the lawsuit explains, Barnett feared that if Morton did not already understand that she was trans, he might react with hostility and violence when he did become aware of her gender identity.As a Black and Latina trans woman, I live with an added awareness of how quickly situations can become dangerous when someones identity is discovered without warning, Barnett said in a statement. At that moment, I feared for my physical safety. After Barnett was able to push Morton out of the room and lock her door, Morton allegedly sent her several messages from his personal cell phone, including an unsolicited and explicit video of himself masturbating and an offer to send her money via Cash App.Barnett reported the incident to the hotels management the next morning and a subsequent investigation by Dallas Police revealed that Morton had accessed hotel records to get Barnetts cell phone and room numbers. Morton was charged with assault with offensive contact and unlawful electronic transmission of sexually explicit material, according to The Dallas Voice. He was also suspended by the hotel pending an internal investigation, but later resigned.A representative for Tolbert and Associates Law, the firm representing Barnett, told The Dallas Voice that Barnett chose to move forward with the lawsuit after conversations with Hilton to reveal systemic failures on their part failed. The rep also alleged that Hilton representatives repeatedly misgendered Ms. Barnett, and invalidated and dismissed her assault because of her being a trans woman.I am here today because what happened to me should not happen to anyone. No guest at a Hilton or any other hotel should ever have [to] trade their safety or dignity for a place to rest, Barnett said in a statement. Hilton has a responsibility to protect the people who stay with them. I want accountability, and I want change not just for me, but so no one ever has to experience what I did.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.