The Hilton Nashville Downtown hotel and an employee are facing a lawsuit after a guest claimed he was sexually assaulted in a bizarre nightmare encounter with a manager.

Pete Brennan said his work trip to the “Music City” started out typical, but things went awry when he settled in for a good night’s rest at the hotel on March 30. “I awoke to a gentleman who had snuck into my room somehow and was sexually assaulting me. It was actually the Hilton manager [who] was the attacker,” he told Nashville news station WKRN on May 4. The disturbing claim has steadily gained traction on social media this weekend (May 6–7).

Brennan, who is from Texas, told police that he immediately screamed and then questioned David Neal about his reason for being in his room. The Hilton employee alleged that he entered the room because he smelled smoke. The 52-year-old still had on his work uniform and name tag. Brennan said he recognized him from the prior day when Neal entered the room to fix his TV.

“All my life, you just have that sense of security and that sense of peace, right? It’s not like you’re camping and you have to kind of keep one eye open. You have that security that’s yours, and when you close your eyes, you feel like you’re safe and you’re protected, and it was a complete violation,” said Brennan. “I was just so, so shocked. It was, ‘Who are you? Why are you in my room?’ It was almost like a dream — a sort of nightmare. It just didn’t make sense. Why is this person touching me?”

Neal was arrested on Friday (May 5) at his home in Lebanon, about 30 miles east of Nashville. He was charged with aggravated burglary and assault and released on a $27,000 bond. Brennan’s disturbing encounter with Neal is just the tip of the iceberg regarding his frustrations with the Hilton. His legal team did a probe into Neal’s past, and what they uncovered were red flags.

“Multiple charges of forgery, drinking and driving, a manslaughter conviction as well, which served prison time,” said Attorney Michael Fisher with Rocky McElhaney Law Firm, who is part of Brennan’s legal team. “When Hilton hired this person, they had to have known. They have to do background checks to know, and the fact that they would put somebody like that in a position where they have the ability to clone keys, have the ability to get into a guest’s room,” added Fisher.

The hotel chain initially told WKRN that “The Hilton Nashville Downtown is an independently owned property, and I cannot speak on the hotel’s behalf.” However, as the story has become a hot topic online, it has since issued a second statement: “The safety and security of our guests and team members is our highest priority. We are working closely with the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department, and as part of company policy, we do not comment on ongoing investigations.”