.jpg "Mike Postle")
The majority of plaintiffs in the lawsuit surrounding the Mike Postle cheating allegations have accepted a settlement.
In a Sept. 9 court filing, it was revealed that 60 of the 88 plaintiffs will be accepting an undisclosed settlement. Judge William B. Shubb of the Eastern District of California filed a notice of partial settlement and stipulation to set date for motion to withdraw, extend time to file second amended complaint, and vacate status conference and status conference report deadline.
“First, in the above-captioned case, Defendants King’s Casino and Kuraitis have settled with the plaintiffs set forth in Exhibit A,” wrote Shubb. “The Settlement Agreement has been executed by the settling parties.”
Postle himself was left off the defendants list as Shubb dismissed the charges against him in June, much to the dismay of those who saw and compiled the evidence against him. Despite temporarily escaping legal trouble, Postle remains a pariah in the poker world.
This left Stones Gambling Hall Tournament Director Justin Kuraitis, who was in charge of the live-streamed poker games where Postle went on infamous heater where he reportedly won upwards of $250,000 in $1-$3 and $2-$5 no-limit hold’em cash games, and the casino’s ownership group as the lawsuit’s sole defendants.
According to the filing, settling parties will file stipulations and orders of dismissal no later than Sept. 18.
On the final three pages of the filing, Shubb lists the plaintiffs who accepted a settlement. One of the most notable plaintiffs left off that list was Veronica Brill, the former employee of the Sacramento-area cardroom that made the allegations public.
Based on the erratic nature of Postle’s play combined with the infrequency of a losing session, Brill, along with many other high-profile poker pros, believed that Postle had access to the hole cards of his opponents. Despite several promising theories as to how the cheating may have occured, none of them could be substantiated, which ultimately led to the dismissal of the case.
If Brill and the 28 other plaintiffs that did not accept a settlement move forward, they will do so without gambling attorney Mac VerStandig. VerStandig informed the court that he would be stepping down as counsel for the plaintiffs.
“Third, Plaintiffs’ counsel have advised the non-settling Plaintiffs that they will seek to withdraw as counsel,” wrote Shubb in the filing. “No non-settling Plaintiff has indicated an objection to withdrawal by Plaintiffs’ counsel, although a number have simply been non-responsive to counsels’ entreaties.”
VerStandig and his team have until Sept. 11 to file a motion to withdraw. Non-settling plaintiffs will have 20 days after the court rules on the Motion to Withdraw as Counsel to file a second amended complaint and keep the legal battle going. We will have to wait and see if Postle ever resurfaces to play live poker, or if he will remain at home playing some Free Video Poker.
Copyright © 2001-2024
CardPlayer.com. All rights reserved.
