Judge Declines To Dismiss Casino Death LawsuitCase To Proceed Against IP Casino Resort In Mississippi |
|
A federal judge last week declined to dismiss a lawsuit against IP Casino Resort in Biloxi, Mississippi, which accuses the casino of serving a disabled man so many drinks to the point of death.
The suit is for $75 million and was filed in 2012. The incident happened in 2009.
Bryan Glenn, whose family said suffered a traumatic brain injury as a result of a four-wheeler accident, took $15,000 to the casino and when the night was over was found dead on the floor in his hotel bathroom.
According to court documents:
Plaintiffs contend that Bryan was served two cocktails at a time throughout the day while he continued to gamble. The First Amended Complaint alleges that Joanne, Chris, and Pam continually and repeatedly pleaded with IP Casino staff to stop serving Bryan alcohol: Between 5:30 and 6:30 p.m. the IP Casino continued to serve Bryan free drinks, two at a time. Almost as soon as Bryan would finish the two drinks, the Casino would have two more at the table for him. During this hour, Bryan twice fell out of his chair to the floor. The second time, Bryan knocked the lady sitting next to him out of her chair. The Casino did nothing.
According to Plaintiffs, it was not until 10:00 p.m. that evening when the gaming area staff stopped serving Bryan alcohol. However, Bryan then entered the IP Chill Lounge, located inside the casino, where he presumably ordered and was served a number of alcoholic drinks. The First Amended Complaint states that the bartender who served Bryan stated that “he’s already had three drinks and he’s only been in here 15 minutes, I can see how intoxicated he is and I’m not going to serve him much more."
According to the First Amended Complaint, approximately two hours later, Joanne, her son Chris, and Pam began looking for Bryan and were told by a doorman that due to his intoxicated state, security guards had escorted Bryan out of the Chill Lounge and to his room. When Joanne, Chris, and Pam arrived at the room, they discovered Bryan lying on the bathroom floor. Bryan was “pronounced dead at 3:19 a.m. on December 7, 2009,” and “the autopsy revealed that he died from alcohol poisoning combined with his medications.”
The casino argued that under Mississippi law “it is abundantly clear that one injured as a result of his own voluntary intoxication has no viable claim against a casino which served him alcohol.” The judge didn’t buy this defense.
IP Casino Resort was previously known as Imperial Palace, but was renamed after Boyd Gaming acquired the joint in 2011.
For more news from Mississippi, check out its state page.
Copyright © 2001-2024
CardPlayer.com. All rights reserved.
