The former shareholder of Crown Resorts and prominent Australian billionaire, James Packer, finds himself once again defending a lawsuit. He has been accused by a security guard of assault dating back to 2016. The guard, who is over a decade older than Packer, claims to have been assaulted due to the failure to identify Packer. Presently, it is alleged that Packer and his legal staff are evading the payment of legal expenses induced by the preliminary settlement.
The earlier incident, as narrated by Dr Iskandar Chaban, contended that the billionaire made an appearance at the Crown Melbourne on New Year’s Day in 2016. Initially, Chaban couldn’t identify Packer and confused him with an inebriated gambler.
Consequently, Chaban, serving as a security officer, attempted to bar Packer from gaining entrance into the venue. This caused Packer, who was still a significant shareholder at Crown Resorts at the time, to lose his temper.
Packer, who was 48 and is of tall stature at 6’4” (193 cm), allegedly got physical with his senior and chastised the officer over his inability to recognize him. Packer was also accused of threatening to get the security officer dismissed over the incident.
Following these events, Chaban was said to have been taken to a back office and was allegedly bullied by four casino executives. These top-ranking officers supposedly coerced Chaban into giving away his uniform and escorted him to a nearby railway station.
Obligation for Crown Resorts to Curtain Chaban’s Legal Expenditure
The original lawsuit alleged that Chaban was hospitalized post the encounter with Packer due to neck and back injuries. Furthermore, he was diagnosed with a stress disorder induced by the reported bullying.
Interestingly, Packer and Crown Resorts initially came to an agreement of AUD 100,000 with Chaban, accepting to also shoulder his legal expenses on a no-admission basis. However, Chaban is now suing them again, claiming that neither Packer nor the casino company fulfilled the promise of covering his legal fees.
To put things into perspective, Chaban incurred a total of AUD 185,000 as lawyer fees, and AUD 77,000 as lawsuit costs, which were to be borne by Packer and Crown Resorts.
In response to these claims, Crown Resorts issued a statement to the Herald Sun, an Australian news outlet, defending that it had not violated the settlement.
An order has been issued by the Victorian Supreme Court directing both parties to participate in mediation due in December.
In the meantime, the Crown Melbourne staff, where the 2016 incident allegedly took place, recently issued strikes due to their dissatisfaction with their employment conditions. However, the strike was later called off as the employers reached a consensus with the casino company.
