Foxwoods Gambler Receives $1.3M Settlement Stemming From 2016 Accident

Posted on: May 19, 2021, 12:32h. 

Last updated on: May 19, 2021, 02:15h.

Devin O'Connor @CasinoorgDevinO Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Commercial Gaming, Legislation, Politics.

Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut has agreed to pay a man more than $1.3 million to settle his lawsuit filed in Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Court.

Foxwoods casino lawsuit Connecticut court
Dunkin’ Donuts inside the Foxwoods Resort Casino is seen in 2018. The coffee spot, since rebranded as simply Dunkin’, was the site of an accident that involved a man slipping and falling. A lawsuit resulted in the man being awarded a settlement totaling over $1.3 million. (Image: TripAdvisor)

On June 28, 2016, shortly before noon, attorneys representing Gary Goodman, 56 years old at the time, say their client slipped on a liquid substance on the Grand Pequot concourse near Dunkin’ Donuts. Goodman’s fall, his lawsuit asserted, resulted in him suffering a fractured lower left leg, torn tendons, and a dislocated left ankle that left permanent damage.

Goodman’s attorneys recently revealed that the Native American tribe agreed to settle the case for $1,325,000. Goodman’s medical expenses and lost wages, his attorneys argued, totaled roughly $600,000.

However, they added that the incident led to the dentist being forced to retire.

Lawsuit Contended Negligence

Casinos are some of the most surveilled businesses in the world. But while those “eyes in the sky” are typically used to the benefit of the gaming venue to detect illegal activity, the cameras in this instance benefited the customer.

Goodman’s lawsuit said surveillance video recorded “an accumulation of a liquid substance” that was spilled by another casino patron. Several Foxwoods employees walked past the spill without cleaning the mess. 

The surveillance video shows that about 20 minutes later, Goodman approaches and slips and falls.

Unfortunately for Goodman, the case was required to be filed in the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Court, which handles all criminal and civil complaints regarding potential violations of the tribe’s laws. The court limits personal injury case awards to 200 percent of the actual damages incurred. The settlement, his lawyers contend, was in his best interest, as a judge would only have been permitted to award $1.2 million if the legal process fully played out. 

“He couldn’t have recovered more than the settlement amount because of the caps,” Harrington explained. “In state court, it would have been a whole different story.”

Lawyers for the Mashantucket did not comment on the settlement, including why they agreed to a higher amount than their court necessitated. 

Casino Slips and Falls

Goodman isn’t the only gambler who recently sued a casino for negligence in relation to an accident. Last year, thousands of miles away in Melbourne, Australia, a man sued Crown Resorts after he claimed he slipped and fell on a pool of vomit three years earlier in 2017. 

Lawyers for Michael Stephenson say Crown Melbourne overserved an intoxicated person, who later vomited on the casino floor. Stephenson, unemployed at the time, argued that he fell on the regurgitated contents and broke his neck. 

“Establishments like Crown need to be held to high standards regarding the responsible service of alcohol,” the lawsuit contended. “Unfortunately for Mr. Stephenson, due to this incident, he now has a permanent injury which has ultimately changed the course of his life.”

Stephenson is seeking $300,000 in damages. The case is ongoing.