Photo courtesy of ABC News.
Summary: O.J. Simpson’s lawyer told The Cosmopolitan that his client may sue after the casino banned him in November.
The Juice is loose, but he isn’t welcome to drink at The Cosmopolitan. The recently released felon was banned by the high-end hotel-casino in Las Vegas, and last week, his lawyer threatened to sue for $100 million in damages.
According to USA Today, attorney Malcolm LaVergne claims the Cosmopolitan discriminated against O.J. Simpson for being black when they barred him from their premises in November.
Simpson, the once-revered football player who shocked the nation after being accused of murdering his ex-wife and her friend, was convicted of armed robbery and assault with a weapon conviction in 2008.
Simpson’s attorney said that they would move forward with a lawsuit if the casino-hotel does not publicly state that Simpson did nothing wrong when he was asked to leave last year.
“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.’”
The Cosmopolitan said that they refused to comment on potential litigation or why Simpson was asked to leave. Lavergne said that Simpson was discriminated against.
“The Cosmopolitan Casino discriminately singled out Mr. Simpson amongst his non-African American friends and subsequently expelled him for what turned out to be a fake reason while he peacefully visited the Cosmopolitan property,” LaVergne wrote.
LaVergne said that The Cosmopolitan helped spread the rumor that Simpson was drunk and belligerent that night, which prompted the felon’s parole officers to contact him. Simpson reportedly underwent drug and alcohol tests, and they came back negative.
LaVergne said that the establishment has a right to ban whoever they want, but they needed to clear Simpson’s name.
“We are asking, in newspaper terms, for a retraction,” LaVergne said.
The attorney also asked the resort to provide surveillance video from the night of the incident as well as a copy of the company policy.
In 1995, Simpson’s ex-wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ron Goldman were murdered in the affluent Los Angeles neighborhood of Brentwood. Simpson was arrested for the double murders, and his legendary trial captivated and divided the nation because of the crime’s viciousness, Simpson’s celebrity, and the racial politics involved.
Simpson was acquitted of the double homicide charges, and years later, he was sent to prison for breaking into a Las Vegas hotel in order to steal sports memorabilia.
Source: USA Today