Rehab TV Show at Hard Rock, Las Vegas
A lawsuit filed by Hard Rock Cafe International against the owners of the Las Vegas Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, is intended to void the company’s licensing deal with the Las Vegas property.
If successful, one of Las Vegas’ most well-known resorts may be compelled to establish a new brand and change its name.
The lawsuit, filed in New York, accuses several firms of improper use of Hard Rock trademarks which “dilutes their distinctiveness and damages their goodwill.”
The company explained that the suit was filed to guard the integrity of the Hard Rock brand. It specifically
cites activities carried out during the recording of the “Rehab: Party At The Hard Rock Hotel” reality TV show as having
“damaged” the brand.
The lawsuit portrays the hotel’s day club Rehab as “a destination that revels in drunken debauchery, acts of
vandalism, sexual harassment, violence, criminality and a host of other behaviors that most
members of the general consuming public … would find unseemly and objectionable.”
Owned and operated by Morgans Hotel Group and equity partner DLJ Merchant Banking Partners, the Las Vegas property is the most famous of the chain’s hotels and casinos and is regularly showcased on the “Rehab” show on the TruTV network.
The show is centered around the numerous exploits of guests and staff in the “Rehab” day club. It has
received criticism for the regular depiction of hedonistic, drunken partygoers and an overly aggressive security crew.
In 2009, police made eight arrests during Rehab parties and in August a patron died in the swimming pool.
