Bloody sheets lead to lawsuit


By ANDREW WOLFE, Telegraph Staff
[email protected]
Published: Saturday, May. 22, 2004

NASHUA - A Merrimack couple claims they climbed into bed at the Marriott Hotel and discovered their bed sheets were clammy with blood.

Robert and Sally Riggi, of 37 Gail Road, sued Marriott International last month in Hillsborough County Superior Court, seeking compensation for emotional distress.

The hotel chain’s lawyer, James Campbell of Boston, declined to comment on the case.

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The Riggis checked into the Marriott in Nashua on Dec. 14, 2002, their lawsuit states.

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The Riggis dressed for the party in the room, but didn’t get back to their room until about 12:30 a.m. the next morning, their lawsuit states. Robert Riggi climbed into bed first, and commented to his wife that the sheets felt wet, their suit states.

Sally Riggi replied that the bed was probably just cold, and got into bed herself. They left the television on.

Robert Riggi got out of bed about three hours later to use the bathroom, the lawsuit states. When he came back, he noticed a dark spot on the sheets, the suit states. He turned on the light and found a bloodstain on the bottom sheet, and blood smears on the top sheet.

“Mr. Riggi went downstairs with the sheets in tow, outraged,” Cronin said. “They really were appalled.”

Cronin wasn’t able to estimate the volume of blood in the bed, but the stain “was significant . . . bigger than a dinner plate,” he said.

The Riggis’ suit doesn’t say how the hotel manager responded to their complaints.

No one called city police to report the incident, police records indicate, Sgt. Brooke Lemoine said.

The sheets were saved, and subsequent tests confirmed the blood was human, Cronin said.

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