Two same-sex couples from Wayne County are suing MGM Grand after a Texas man pleaded guilty to assaulting them outside the Detroit casino and the security guards allegedly failed to stop the assault or call police, instead recording it on their phones.
Celia Haueter and Chelsi Way, both 30, of Livonia, were assaulted by William Wilson outside the casino in July 2025 after a concert they attended with Way’s brother, Zachary Chearhart, and his fiancé, David Supal.
Haueter was knocked unconscious in the attack and suffered a traumatic brain injury and severe concussion from the blow. Before Wilson attacked them, he called them homophobic slurs.
“We’re in fear, because as you know, gay couples going out in public, we’re always in fear anyway, and then this stuff happens,” Way said. “(Wilson) ruined our lives, as of right now. … This is should be the best time of your life, and it’s for us the worst.”
Wilson pleaded guilty to injuring a person during a hate crime and attempted felonious assault and was sentenced in March to two years probation.
Haueter and Way were waiting for the MGM Grand valet to bring their car back after a concert with Chearhart and Supal when the incident occurred, according to a lawsuit the couples filed July 8 in Wayne County Circuit Court.
Two men — one of whom was Wilson; the other remains unknown — approached the two couples aggressively, Way told The Detroit News. Supal told them they were just trying to get home safe and asked the men to leave them alone, Haueter said.
Wilson pulled out his phone and started recording the couples, then hit Way in the face with his phone, Way said, then began using homophobic slurs toward her. Chearhart went inside MGM and asked for help. But when security came out, they allegedly just recorded the assault on their phone instead of intervening, she said.
MGM Grand did not respond to a request for comment on the suit.
Haueter stepped in the middle of Wilson and Way, and the second man hit Chearhart in the face with his phone, causing his glasses to fly off, when he returned to the group, Way said.
“I think he went to go pick up his glasses, and then that’s when Celia kind of stepped in front of us, and then he just started swinging,” Way said.
Wilson hit Haueter in the face multiple times, splitting her lip and giving her a black eye.
“She gets up again, and then (Wilson) hits her again, and then at that point she keeps going a little bit forward, and they hit her one more time, and then she’s on the ground, face planted, busted her head open,” Way said. “So there’s blood everywhere, and the only thing MGM did was bring a rolling chair and a piece of paper towel. … There were so many men out there, and all of these people that were working in the valet are just recording, and the only people that even tried to help us were the people, the patrons that were standing outside.”
Wilson took off running after he knocked Haueter unconscious, Way said, and she chased him.
“I used to work for Detroit Fire, so I know when you can’t find the person … no one’s ever gonna get any justice,” Way said. “We’re standing at the corner, and he’s standing there trying to order an Uber. He turns around, he looks at me, he’s like, ‘Oh, I just knocked out one f—–. You want it too?'”
Wilson ran off again and Way chased him, ultimately cornering him three miles away with the Detroit police officers Chearhart was directing to her location.
Injuries from the assault
Haueter got about a dozen stitches inside and outside of her lip. She had a severe concussion and bruises covering her face and head. She still struggles with her memory and has a traumatic brain injury from the force of Wilson’s attack on her, Way said. She had constant, severe headaches for months that left her unable to function, Way said.
“I cry about it daily,” Way said.
As for Haueter, memory and speech often frustrates her, as she knows what she wants to say, but cannot get the words out.
“I feel stupid, you know, and it’s like there’s a blockage,” Haueter said. “I never used to be afraid of (being assaulted). I knew could it could happen, like people target you because you’re gay or something, but now … I get nervous about it.”
Lawsuit: MGM failed to provide adequate security
The lawsuit alleges MGM Grand failed to provide adequate security at the casino. MGM also allegedly furnished alcohol to Wilson while he was visibly intoxicated, according to the lawsuit.
“It’s a terrible, traumatic brain injury as a result of this brutal attack,” said the couples’ attorney, Jim Rasor. “The most shocking part of this is not only the assailant’s hatred toward this married lesbian couple, but the casino’s abject failure after seeing what was going on … to do anything to enhance safety of clients.”
The attack on the two couples was in the presence of MGM valet employees and security guards, who, instead of intervening, allegedly filmed the attack on their cell phones and failed to call the police, according to the lawsuit.
“There was enough time for one of the gentlemen to go inside and alert security,” Rasor said. “Security knew; they were watching what was happening. They had a duty to call the police and monitor the premises, a duty to take reasonable steps if they knew of violent criminal behavior on their premises. They did nothing. … This is not the first time. This is not the second time. They know their facilities are dangerous and they’re doing nothing to keep their patrons safe, not even calling the police.”
Women want Wilson to be held accountable
Though Wilson was sentenced to two years of probation in Wayne County Circuit Court, both Haueter and Way said they are unhappy with his sentence. They are also suing Wilson individually for his actions that night.
“I think that they let him off easy, and I think that he should have gotten way more than he did,” Way said. “It still makes me sick to this day, honestly.”
Way said the assault has changed their lives tremendously. They used to be outgoing people who loved to attend concerts. Now, they don’t leave the house, she said.
“I think the criminal justice system betrayed this victim,” Rasor said. “I think it’s so outrageous that somebody would act like that with malice in their heart and with hate towards LGBTQ+ folks.”
kberg@detroitnews.com
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Detroit MGM Grand security failed to stop hate crime assault, lawsuit alleges
Reporting by Kara Berg, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Kara Berg, The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
