“…forced the owners of a large hotel chain to pay more than one million dollars in damages due to their negligence in failing to provide a safe work place and not procuring Workers’ Compensation 
insurance. The hotel chain had a practice of paying their employees cash and not providing Workers’ Compensation insurance…”
 In California, an employer can be sued directly by his employee, if the employer failed to obtain Workers’ Compensation insurance. This is true even if the injuries were primarily caused by the negligence or intentional conduct of third parties. McMahon’s client, a foreign citizen, was working without a visa and the owners were aware that he was an undocumented worker.
The client, working as a night clerk, was summoned to a scuffle at a room in the hotel at 2:00am. He was attacked by guests when they were asked to keep the noise to a minimum. The plaintiff was rendered unconscious and spent almost four weeks at a local county medical facility with various broken bones, teeth, and a head injury. The attackers were eventually convicted of attempted murder and are serving lengthy sentences within the California state prison system.
