Eh. I'm on both sides of this. Terrible incident, agreed. IF the FD gave out the keycard as described/alleged, it was a serious error which could have had even more serious consequences. The woman was fortunate that she was not injured or assaulted more seriously.
That said, she could and should have used the deadbolt/chain/whatever. Not saying that the assault (if it happened as alleged) is her fault, but the person who has primary responsibility for our own safety and security, regardless of the location and circumstances, is us. Everyone should exerciese reasonable caution.
She starts to lose me, though, by waiting so long after the incident to file suit and by hiring Ms. Allred. Just wondering out loud,.... Did she find herself unable to work and quit her job before or after retaining Ms. Allred? There's probably some type of psychotherapist involved here, too. Did she start seeing the therapist before or after retaining Ms. Allred?
I'm not suggesting that any guest deserves this, but there's a lot of stuff here to suggest that this is an attempted money grab. And Starwood/the hotel will, of course, settle. The last thing they want is for this to go to trial. So they're really only discussing the size of the check. While I believe that the incident happened, and possibly pretty close to as described, her motivation hardly seems terribly altruistic. Is she really interested in ensuring the safety of others, or is she more interested in the size of her own retirement fund?
Just my 2¢.