O. J. Simpson Threatens Vegas Casino With $100M Lawsuit
O.J. Simpson’s attorney has threatened a lawsuit against The Cosmopolitan hotel-casino in Las Vegas that would seek $100 million in damages over alleged “malice and racial prejudice” related to Simpson’s permanent banishment from the property late last year.
Simpson hit up the establishment for a bit of post-prison excitement but was reportedly kicked-out and banned for being drunk and disruptive. He was released from prison in October after his 2008 armed robbery and kidnapping conviction.
The disgraced Hall of Famer denies causing a scene at the casino’s Clique bar on Nov. 8. His lawyer, Malcolm LaVergne claims casino workers concocted a “fake reason” to kick out Simpson, according to a Dec. 29 letter obtained by the Daily News.
LaVergne wrote the “false and malicious allegations” were aimed to profit off a media tip while embarrassing Simpson and jeopardizing his parole status. He is seeking all the security surveillance footage related to the incident to prove that the casino “acted with malice and racial prejudice.”
He told USA TODAY Sports that he will move forward with the lawsuit if the casino doesn’t make public that Simpson did not pop off when he was asked to leave the casino.
“Mr. Simpson has had 100% perfect behavior since he’s been on parole,” LaVergne said. “He was having dinner with a friend from out of town and everything was going great. The next thing you know, when he was leaving, they told him, ‘Don’t come back.’”
As reported by the Daily News, “It was the most ridiculous thing ever,” LaVergne said, adding his client wasn’t “going to take it lying down anymore.”
Representatives from The Cosmopolitan have declined to provide specifics on what exactly went down but a spokesperson previously described initial reports by outlets such as TMZ as “inaccurate” when contacted in November.
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(Brooke Keast/Nevada Department of Corrections via AP)
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