Chicago woman sues luxury residential managers for not allowing her to break lease after an alleged assault

The woman parked her car and thought about going to the front entrance of her luxury River North apartment building. But walking through the front door felt impossible.

So the woman instead hurried from the parking lot through the building's back entrance, bypassing the front desk where she worried that the security guard who allegedly sexually assaulted her would be sitting.

Once back at her apartment, she still wasn't safe from her thoughts. She worried someone could break into her unit.

"I was just in a state of fear and panic," she told the Tribune. "It was terrifying."

That's why the woman said it was so "devastating" when she wasn't permitted to break her lease at Niche 905 in late 2024. For two months, when she couldn't stay with her mom or friends, she had to sleep in the apartment - and in the bed - where the alleged rape took place, she said.

In January 2025, the woman sued Willow Bridge Property Co., the property manager, and Titan Security Group, the company Willow Bridge contracted to provide security services. The suit accused the companies of "systemic failures" that led to the assault as well as inflicting "emotional distress" by refusing to allow her to break her lease.

Now, as the case slowly makes its way through Cook County Court, the woman said she's ready to speak out for the first time to spread awareness of the challenges faced by those who report they've been sexually assaulted.

"I always wanted to help people in life regardless of whatever direction I went," she said. "I ultimately decided that I don't ever want this to happen to anyone else."

The Tribune is not naming the woman because she is alleging she was sexually assaulted. The woman, a 32-year-old northwest suburban resident, filed the lawsuit as Jane Doe. The Tribune also isn't naming the guard because he hasn't been criminally charged. He wasn't identified by name in the lawsuit either.

The woman reported the alleged assault to the Chicago police in October 2025. A police spokesperson confirmed that there is "an open and active investigation" into the incident, and that Area 3 detectives are investigating.

Jamie Wieland, a spokesperson for Titan Security, said in a statement that they are "fully cooperating with law enforcement and any legal proceedings." Wieland said the security guard no longer works for the company.

"We are deeply committed to maintaining the highest safety and security standards," Wieland said.

Attorneys for the Willow Bridge Property Co., which lists 35 Chicago properties on its website, meanwhile, did not respond to a request for comment.

When reached by phone, the security guard stated in a brief interview that the encounter was consensual.

Confused and scared

Before the alleged assault on Dec. 10, 2024, the woman said she left work around 7 p.m. and went out to a bar and restaurant with friends. That's when things started to get a "little fuzzy" from the alcohol, she said.

She remembers getting back to Niche 905 around 1:30 a.m. in an Uber, and not being able to get inside her apartment. She later learned in an email from a manager that she was accidentally knocking on the wrong door, the suit said. She said she was also emotional at the time from an argument with her then-girlfriend.

"I pounded on the door, and I let out a yell," she said. "I was just very emotional and frustrated."

The woman said she "blacked out" after. The next thing she remembers is allegedly waking up with the security guard - who she didn't know - on top of her. Confused and scared, she said she looked around and realized she was back in her apartment.

She heard him say, "I have to get back to my post," and then said she allegedly watched him put his uniform back on. She said she didn't know what to do and passed out after he left her room.

The lawsuit alleges that the security guard directed the woman to her apartment and then followed her inside. He seemingly showed up after residents complained about noise the woman made, said Symone Shinton, the woman's attorney. Residents had also called the police about what they believed to be a potential break-in, she added.

Chicago police body camera footage from just after 1:50 a.m. that night shows a brief conversation between officers and the security guard, where he says a drunk resident went to the incorrect floor and that "I just put her in her room."

The guard stated to the Tribune, however, that they had "consenting sex" and claimed he had a video to prove it. But when asked, he declined to provide the video.

Shinton said any recording would certainly be nonconsensual and "very concerning." The suit said the woman is "certain" she didn't consent to having sex with the security guard and that "based on how intoxicated she was, she could not have consented."

"She was not capable of giving consent - period," Shinton said. "Apart from all the other commonsense reasons we know that a lesbian luxury tenant did not come home crying, upset from a fight with her girlfriend to invite a security guard she had never met before to have sex with her."

‘An industry problem'

What happened next, though, raises concerns - beyond one woman's case - about how prominent companies handle sexual assault allegations and treat tenants, Shinton said.

"The reality is sexual assault is a system, and what we’ve seen of what led to this and how it was responded to, is not just a Willow Bridge-Titan problem," she said. "It’s an industry problem."

When the woman woke up the next morning she said she had a lot of anxiety and felt like "something bad happened" even though she couldn't immediately remember specifics. She also felt physically sore. The woman is a lesbian and said she hasn't had a relationship with a man for a very long time.

She got an email on the afternoon of Dec. 10 from a manager of the building that said there was an "incident that occurred last night with you being at the wrong apartment" and that "your neighbors were concerned."

The woman felt "mortified," and said she texted a neighbor to see if he knew anything. During that conversation, she said memories of the alleged assault began to resurface.

She then took Plan B, an emergency contraceptive, and obtained a rape kit the next day at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, the lawsuit said. A nurse at the hospital reported to police that an undisclosed patient described being the victim of sexual assault, but didn't want to speak with officers at the time, according to a Chicago police report.

"It was an almost eight-hour visit to the emergency room with a lot of strangers. A lot of poking, prodding, a lot of difficult questions," the woman said. "And I was all alone."

The woman felt like she couldn't endure telling more people about what happened after this experience. Through her neighbor, she got in contact with Shinton, who she hoped would be able to speak for her and help her get out of the apartment.

However, according to the lawsuit, Willow Bridge refused in a Dec. 18 letter to immediately break the lease until they completed an "investigation," which the suit said they didn't provide an update on. The letter said the security guard wouldn't be scheduled to work at the building during the investigation.

"It was just devastating," the woman said of not being able to break her lease. "I was scared and I didn’t feel safe where I lived."

Until then, the woman said she had a mostly positive experience at the River North building. She moved into the one-bedroom apartment in February 2024 after relocating to Chicago for her job.

But, Shinton said, "It's unbelievable to fathom paying nearly $3,000 in rent to live in the scene of a crime."

Shinton also criticized the company's handling of surveillance footage. She alleged they didn't preserve much of the footage, apart from snippets taken on an employee's phone, even though she requested it. In the December letter, attorneys for Willow Bridge said lobby video footage showed that the woman was "visibly intoxicated," but that they had no cameras in upstairs hallways.

In early February 2025, about two months after the assault, Willow Bridge finally agreed to break the woman's lease, the suit said. The lawsuit was filed in January, a month before.

"It was a relief finally," the woman said. "I don't know why it took so long. I don't understand why they didn't believe me."

The lawsuit also said Titan Security, the security guard's employer, had a "duty to exercise reasonable care" in screening and training its employees. It alleged he had "virtually zero oversight" once he was hired, and that guards could be passed from property to property.

"They only stopped scheduling (the guard) once the lawsuit is filed, which is January," Shinton said, referencing pay stubs. "Once they connect the dots of we're getting sued for this, they take him off the schedule."

Titan Security didn't respond to questions about the guard's removal or him being moved to other locations, but said he no longer works for the company. The guard had a "clear" background check when he was hired in 2024, according to an employee file.

Starting her life over

While the lawsuit has meandered its way through the court, the woman said she's essentially had to start her life over in her 30s.

"It's completely changed my life," she said. "I could say at one point it's ruined by life, but I can't have that mindset if I want to keep living my life."

Prior to the alleged sexual assault, she had a high-powered job as a director of sales for a restaurant group. She had worked her way up to hosting events and training staff across the country.

"(I was) part of something bigger and creating things that brought people joy," she said.

When she tried to go to work after, though, she felt like she was "just watching myself" and like she wasn't in her body. She left her job and moved in with her mom. After taking a year off work, she now bartends to pay the bills.

Outside of work, her romantic relationship ended. She said it was particularly difficult to share what happened with her dad, and it led to her talking with him less frequently.

The woman said she's gotten therapy and other treatment, and that she has a solid support system, which helped her report the alleged assault to the police in 2025. Still, so much of her personality has changed, she said.

She said she used to be a social person, who loved being surrounded by people and having lots of friends. Now, she doesn't speak to a lot of her friends anymore. At times, she relives the alleged assault, which she said sends her into a deep depression.

"Every day is different," she said. "Sometimes I'm OK. Other times it's really, really dark and lonely."

She said she wants the legal proceedings to be over so she can get to a place where she's "not scared when I wake up." She also wants to help other women.

"You don't really know who's behind your desk and supposedly protecting you," she said.

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This story was originally published May 12, 2026 at 5:17 AM.