From the details in this case, it is apparent that the case, Romanski v. Detroit Entertainment L.L.C., relates to false imprisonment of a guest who had visited a hotel establishment. In this case, the guest, Stella Romanski and her two friends had visited a casino operated by the defendants, Detroit Entertainment. After unsuccessfully trying to play the slot machines that were empty, Stella took a walk around the floor of the casino. It is during her walk that she found a 5 cents token in one of the machines. It was apparent to her that the machine had no one using it, and she took the five cents token and proceeded to play with the machines they had used previously.

A few minutes later, the hotel security officers requested that she accompany them for questioning in a designated room for the security team. She was escorted and it was during the questioning process that one of the officers identified herself as a police officer. The security team then ejected her from the hotel premises and took away the five cents token from her. She was denied any access to any other place within the premises including the chance to speak with her friends. The judges ruled out that the security officers, and in extension the establishment, were liable for false imprisonment and subsequently order to pay $875,000 as punitive damages to the plaintiff.

Different state jurisdictions apply different laws in dealing with frauds and crimes in the hotel industry. To begin with, fraud is determined based in the apparent intention to avoid payment. The intention is not assumed in cases where the guest continues to stay in the hotel but refuses to pay for the services rendered, and in such a case, laws of trespass are subsequently applied. Bad checks are also prohibited, since the intention is to deceive the payee that money has been paid. In this case rebuttable presumption is ascertained, that the drawer intended to deceive the payee. However in the given case study, the legal aspects relate to the detention of guests by hotel operators.

This is also another aspect that is common in the hotel industry, and in this case, it is necessary to be cautious in order to avoid subsequent charges of false imprisonment, slander and malicious prosecution from the guests. In most cases, hotels are allowed to detain, albeit temporarily, guests who they reasonably believe to have stolen or failed to pay for services rendered. In this case, the detention is expected to take such a time that the questioning will have ascertained the alleged misconduct in view of its nature and amount involved. In cases where the guest is detained for unreasonably too long, the detainers are held liable for false imprisonment.

In view of the facts outlined in the given case study, it is apparent that the case involving and Detroit Entertainment and Stella Romanski was not a case of theft. Indeed, the security officer tried to explain of the hotel policy referred to as ‘slot-walking’, relating to tokens picked from idle machine trays. However the said policy was not indicated anywhere for guests to familiarize themselves with its details. Additionally, the security officers who confronted Stella convinced her that she had to accompany them to an ‘interview room’, which was actually a detention room. Outside the windowless room, another security officer was on guard. Her details were subsequently taken, photocopied and at some point, it became apparent that her detention was primarily based on alleged theft and not her attitude towards the security officers who confronted her as alleged. After the interrogation, she was ejected from the premises and she was not even allowed the chance to see her friends or even have lunch within the hotel premises. The facts indeed amount to false imprisonment and the decision made by the jury to award damages is justifiable from the details of this case.

This particular case is indeed relevant to hotel operators and managers since the actions taken by the employees as agents of the employer directly affect the employer’s liability. For instance in this case, it is apparent that the defendants in the case are the security officers who falsely detained the guest without reasonable grounds. However the employer, Detroit Entertainment is enjoined in the case since the security officers are deemed to be working on behalf of the employer. As a result, the damages amounting to $875,000 awarded to the complainant are to be borne by the employer even as it is apparent that the security officers acted out of order and unreasonably. This is an important management aspect since a dispute involving a 5 cent token should not amount to detention of the client without reasonable grounds to do so. In addition, the legal aspects of false imprisonment are also relevant to operators and mangers since they guide on how to act when faced with decisions that may require such measures. As such, understating the extent to which some measures may be used is important and very relevant in the hotel industry.