Tailhook women sue US navy

LAS VEGAS (Reuter) - Four women who say they were sexually assaulted at a convention here have filed claims for dollars 2.5m ( pounds 1.3m) from the US navy and court cases against a pilot's club and a hotel chain, their lawyers said yesterday.

The women are among more than 25 who say they were groped by dozens of drunken, cheering naval fliers on 7 September 1991, in a crowded hallway at the Las Vegas Hilton hotel. A Las Vegas lawyer, Cal Potter, said the four filed claims with the Navy Department last Wednesday in which each sought more than dollars 2.5m in damages. They alleged they were victims of battery, sexual assault and sexual harassment at last year's Tailhook convention, and suffered emotional distress and mental anguish, Mr Potter said.