Lawsuit deal reached in Avon ISIS case

A lawsuit filed by a United Arab Emirates man against an Avon hotel and its employees was settled Sept. 11.

The case of Ahmed AlMenhali versus Fairfield Inn and Suites, 39050 Colorado Ave., Marriottt International, hotel employees Alexis Silva of Lorain and Laura Acton-Bell of Avon, was scheduled to go to trial at U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio in Cleveland.

Sarah Gelsomino, attorney for Al-Menhali, said the jury was selected and the trial was about to begin when the case was settled for an undisclosed amount of money.

“This gives him closure and allows him to move forward and try to heal from this,” Gelsomino said.

“This impacted him so greatly.

“It was so traumatic in so many ways to have such a horrific and completely fabricated accusation, and then to be treated the way that he was when he came to the United States and believed so much greatness about the United States and about what it stood for.

“It affected him in every facet and he will never be the same.”

The suit claims Ahmed Al-Menhali temporarily was residing in the Cleveland area while receiving medical treatment at the Cleveland Clinic when two employees of the Fairfield Marriott Avon hotel falsely accused him of pledging allegiance to ISIS.

The complaint alleged the officers failed to deescalate the situation and “summarily attacked Ahmed Al-Menhali in an unjustified SWAT-style assault,” in response to a fraudulent call to emergency officials due to the two employees’ actions.

In a June 2016 news release issued by Avon police in response to the incident, the Police Department indicated at around 5:53 p.m., officers received a 911 call from a woman who claimed her sister worked as a desk clerk at the hotel, advising there was a male in the lobby “in full head dress with multiple disposable phones pledging his allegiance to ISIS.”

When officers arrived at the hotel, they repeatedly ordered the man to drop his phone and get on the ground.

After detaining Al-Menhali it was determined there had been a miscommunication and the hotel desk clerk informed police no statements related to ISIS were made, the release said.

After Al-Menhali was arrested and pinned down by officers, the complaint argues he suffered symptoms of a stroke related to heart surgery and was hospitalized for several days.

Once officers had detained Al-Menhali, it was determined he never made any statements related to ISIS.

Avon issued an apology to Al-Menhali following the incident.