Gambler Dies From Alcohol, Casino Slapped With Huge Wrongful Death Suit

Posted by Phoenix Wrongful Death Attorney Nick Alcock:

One young man’s night of gambling and heavy drinking three years ago has resulted in a lawsuit alleged to be worth seventy-five million dollars. Family releatives of a Mississippi man are blaming casino employees for causing the gambler’s 2009 death by serving him too much alcohol. The late gambler, Bryan Lee Glenn, was found dead in his hotel bathroom at the IP Casino Resort and Spa in Biloxi, Mississippi.

Casino-enthusiasts out there might suggest that heavy drinking goes hand and hand with typical casino behavior. However, this lawsuit by Glenn’s relatives asserts that casino workers crossed a line by encouraging Glenn to get wasted, and even interfering with family members who tried to stop employees from serving him drinks the night of his death. Witnesses reported that at one point, Glenn was “falling down drunk” at a blackjack table, and relatives “begged the casino to stop serving him.” But rather than adhering to Glenn’s relatives’ wishes, a casino worker allegedly shot back, “He’s old enough to make his own decisions,” the casino lawsuit states. When relatives finally convinced Glenn to leave, a dealer allegedly pointed out he still had chips and said, “Aren’t you going to come back and play?” And that’s just what the heavily-inebriated Glenn did.

Later that same night, Glenn’s relatives say they again implored a bartender to stop serving him alcohol, to no avail. He was eventually escorted out of the casino by security, but the damage was already done. Glenn’s mother and brother found him dead on the floor of his hotel bathroom.

The facts of the casino lawsuit’s cause of action seem to suggest a case of negligence. To win, Glenn’s relatives’ wrongful death lawyer would have to prove the casino breached a duty of care by serving him alcohol when he was clearly too drunk, and that the breach caused Glenn’s death. The IP Resort, owned by Boyd Gaming Corp., has yet to respond to the casino suit. In its defense, the company may allege Glenn himself was negligent in drinking too much, especially as the lawsuit claims he’d also been taking prescription painkillers, including Percocet and morphine, along with antipsychotic drugs. The lawsuit says Glenn had attempted suicide days before his death, was highly intoxicated and became agitated when his family tried to get him to leave the casino.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out in the courtroom.