Navy SEAL Who Killed Bin Laden Sues Hotel Over Career-Derailing Incident: ‘It Didn’t Happen’

FIRST ON FOX: Former Navy SEAL Rob O’Neill, the man credited with killing Osama bin Laden, is speaking out after recently filing a lawsuit against the hotel where he allegedly assaulted a security guard and uttered a racial slur, something he vehemently denies and says crippled his professional career.

“I lost a lot of work. At one point in my career, I was giving 300 speeches a year, 250 to 300 speeches in as many cities, and now that’s all dried up because it’s a bad image that didn’t happen,” O’Neill told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview about the notorious incident at the Omni Hotel in Frisco, Texas, last August, when he was accused of assaulting a loss prevention officer while intoxicated and calling the officer, who is white, the “N-word.”

O’Neill, a former SEAL Team Six member who earned two Silver Stars and four Bronze Stars, claims he never assaulted anyone or used a slur, which prompted him to file a lawsuit against the Omni Hotel. In his suit, O’Neill claims that security guard Johnny Lee Loomis should never have been hired because of his alleged checkered past and alleges that he made false statements about that night.

“The Hotel Defendants knowingly, recklessly, and negligently hired and retained Loomis as a security guard, despite Loomis’ public history as a pedophile and provider of child sexual services,” the complaint states. “The Hotel Defendants also knowingly, recklessly, and negligently hired and retained Loomis as a security guard despite his known history of violence and false accusations of violence and misconduct against hotel guests.”

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O’Neill acknowledges having a drink after a long day at a conference, falling asleep in the hotel bar and encountering Loomis as he tried to get back to his room, but denies hitting Loomis or racially abusing him.

“I had a long day flying from New York to Dallas, and then we had a business dinner and all that, and then we went to the cigar bar and came back, and usually we’re in a hospitality environment like a hotel, you know, you sit at the bar trying to have a nightcap and you fall asleep at the bar, which unfortunately has happened, and then I get semi-escorted to my hotel room, which is fine. I guess that can happen,” O’Neill said.

“It’s strange that there was only one guy who did this. It’s strange that he knew he was going to a place that had no audio or video, and it’s also strange that he would try to use my wallet, my key, when as a loss prevention officer he has a key to a room. And every time I’ve seen this happen or been around security guards at a hotel, they have their own key. They don’t need the guy’s keys. So I was surprised at first when the police showed up.”

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O’Neill continued: “It was only later that I found out that I had been accused not only of assault but also of racial slurs. And that struck me as odd, especially since the guy who was walking me to him was a middle-aged white guy, a guy in his 60s, and all of a sudden he accused the man of assault and racial slurs, which, with two men alone in a hallway, just strikes me as ridiculous.”

O’Neill said the slur was a “horrible word” that he would “never” use and says he supports law enforcement and has been treated well by local police, but alleges in the lawsuit that Loomis has a history of making false statements and getting into altercations with customers.

The complaint states that Loomis has “been involved in several other physical altercations with hotel guests” and that in one instance, Loomis “issued false statements and caused the arrest of that guest, claiming that it was the guest who started the altercation.”

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“On at least one occasion prior to August 22, 2023, law enforcement specifically warned the Hotel Defendants about Loomis and his background,” the lawsuit states. “Yet the Hotel Defendants retained Loomis in his supervisory role, giving him continued, unsupervised access to the Hotel premises and guests of all ages. The Hotel Defendants also failed to take any corrective or disciplinary action against Loomis.”

“This lawsuit seeks substantial compensatory and punitive damages against the Hotel Defendants for negligent hiring, selection, retention, and supervision arising out of the Hotel Defendants’ employment of Loomis, for Loomis’ misrepresentations, and for events that occurred at the Hotel on or about August 22, 2023,” he said.

The lawsuit also says Loomis did not have the proper security guard qualifications under Texas law and that law enforcement in Louisiana, where Loomis had previously been employed, had called to warn the hotel about Loomis and the hotel continued to employ him.

O’Neill told Fox News Digital that one of the main reasons he filed the lawsuit was to clear his name, which he says has been forever tarnished due to false allegations.

“There’s been a lot of damage, and the internet is forever,” O’Neill said. “And it’s hard to sit here and say, well, that’s not really me, when it’s already there. People who know me know that’s not me. Obviously, I want to restore my reputation. I want to restore the way my family is treated and the way they perceive my reputation and their relationship with me. And especially, I’ve been thinking about this for the last year, and I can tell you that’s a long time to be silent, especially with my platforms. But I really don’t want anyone else to have to deal with this.”

“When my grandchildren Google my name, Neptune’s Spear or 9/11, this article that’s not even true will come up, and it will affect everything from my family life, my legacy, my business, my military career,” O’Neill added.

“Even friends and family, when they’ve been somewhere, they’ve heard rumors and things like that, it’s just, it’s a shame. And. I mean, the trial speaks for itself, but again, just the fact that there are people out there who will print anything for a headline.”

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Fox News Digital reached out to the Omni Hotel, which provided the following statement: “On August 23, 2023, the Frisco Police Department was dispatched to the Omni Frisco Hotel at the Star for a disturbance call regarding a guest, Robert O’Neill. Upon arrival, responding officers conducted their own investigation and determined to take Mr. O’Neill into custody.”

“The Frisco Police Department arrested Mr. O’Neill for public intoxication and assault. Security personnel at the Omni Frisco Hotel at the Star followed all appropriate protocols to ensure the safety of their guests and associates.

“We will let the proceedings play out in court. Omni Hotels & Resorts followed all standard and legal protocols, including background checks when hiring Mr. Loomis, which included all national registries. There have been no convictions or arrests. Omni has suspended Mr. Loomis while this incident is investigated. There will be no further comment at this time.”

Loomis did not respond to Fox News Digital’s media inquiries.