False imprisonment also alleged
A 65-year-old man has filed civil suit alleging he was hospitalized after an incident at Argosy Casino with a Missouri Gaming Commission officer who allegedly had a prior history of threatening and engaging in harmful contact with others while on the job.
According to the six-page civil suit filed with the Platte County Circuit Court, Joel Hale of Kansas City was approached and questioned by Leonard Reed on May 27, 2018.
While visiting the gambling facility, Hale was specifically asked if he had his wallet. He told Reed that he did not.
According to the allegations, Reed allegedly tried to “pat-down” Hale and instructed him to put his hands behind his back. When Hale rebuffed, Reed slammed Hale to the floor and proceeded to handcuff him, the suit says.
Reed led Hale to a private office, which lacked video surveillance. According to the lawsuit, as a result of his injuries Hale struggled to even walk. Eventually, emergency medical personnel were called to the scene, rendered assistance and loaded Hale into an ambulance. He was taken to an area hospital.
As the suit tells it, Reed “employed force that was more than reasonably necessary.”
The suit accuses the Missouri Gaming Company of negligent hiring and employing a man who has a “propensity to harm” customers.
“Despite Argosy’s capacity to know of Reed’s dangerous proclivities, it employed Reed, anyway, and further, continued to employ him,” the suit says.
Argosy Casino had a duty of care and bears responsibility to protect its customers from harm, according to allegations in the lawsuit.
False imprisonment
Because Hale was allegedly restrained by Reed for a period and was allegedly subjected to an unreasonable search, the suit claims false imprisonment as an element in this case.
“Reed lacked authority or justification to detain” Hale, the suit says.
Trevor Ferguson of the Ferguson Law Office, LLC, is seeking compensation, including punitive damages for his client, Joel Hale.