A federal judge in Nevada has dismissed a sex trafficking lawsuit against MGM Resorts and Boyd Gaming. The case was filed by a woman using the pseudonym "Tyla D.," who alleged she was forced into prostitution at their Las Vegas casino properties starting at age 14.

According to the complaint, Tyla D. was trafficked at Mandalay Bay, MGM Grand, and The Orleans between 2006-2007 and again in 2013. She described being controlled by multiple men who beat her, raped her, and forced her into sex work while maintaining control over her earnings and identification documents.

The lawsuit claimed that despite casinos using facial recognition technology that flagged her frequent visits in 2013, staff failed to intervene. Tyla D. argued this demonstrated the casinos' complicity in enabling sex trafficking while profiting from Las Vegas's widespread commercial sex industry.

Chief U.S. District Judge Andrew P. Gordon dismissed the case on two main grounds:

1. The 10-year statute of limitations had expired, and the plaintiff failed to demonstrate extraordinary circumstances that prevented timely filing
2. The complaint lacked sufficient evidence that the hotels knew she was specifically a trafficking victim rather than a voluntary sex worker

Gordon noted that to establish liability, a plaintiff must prove the defendant knew or should have known about forced sex trafficking, not just general commercial sex activity on their property.

The judge has given Tyla D. until December 20 to file an amended complaint addressing these legal deficiencies.

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