Remember the $2 million poker feud between Leon Tsoukernik and Matt Kirk? Click here to refresh your memory about the details.
A Las Vegas judge did not believe a lawsuit filed by a casino owner that says a casino located on the Las Vegas Strip took advantage of him.
According to a report by the Las Vegas Review-Journal, on the final week of February this year, Clark County District Court Judge Linda Bell tossed Leon Tsoukernik’s countersuit against the Aria casino and Aussie poker pro Matt Kirk.
In a high-stakes poker game last year, Tsoukernik lost $3 million to Kirk, but he only paid Kirk $1 million. This pushed Kirk to sue for the unpaid amount, leading to Tsoukernik later filing his own lawsuit, alleging that the casino plied him with alcoholic drinks.
Tsoukernik said that the booze was ‘sufficient to visibly intoxicate and impair’ him and therefore ‘induce him to play for large sums’. He claimed he was so intoxicated and tired that he needed the dealer in Ivey’s Room and Kirk to help him count his chips. He also said he ‘misread’ his cards during the match. He pointed that the casino should have stopped the game.
His team of lawyers said Tsoukernik was suffering from ‘extreme fatigue’ during the game that was already past 5 a.m. Tsoukernik claimed Kirk was aware of his condition but still chose to continue playing against him. In a span of just over an hour, Tsoukernik lost $3 million. Kirk passed chips over to him across the table in increments of $500,000, $500,000, $1 million and $1 million.
Judge Linda Bell ordered Tsoukernik’s lawyers to pay for Kirk’s legal fees accrued from defending against the counterclaim.
The judge said that Nevada gaming regulators could investigate on the accusations against Aria casino, as the Nevada Gaming Control Board is the entity that handles disputes and complaints between gamblers and casinos. Kirk’s lawyers said that their client was not involved with Tsoukernik’s intoxication.
Richard Schonfeld, one of Kirk’s lawyers, said, “There’s no factual allegation that Mr. Kirk ordered him a drink or anything of that sort.
With the countersuit dismissed, Kirk is still pursuing the unpaid amount from Tsoukernik under claims that he was the victim of “unjust enrichment” and “fraudulent inducement”.
What do you think?
Source: https://www.reviewjournal.com/crime/courts/las-vegas-judge-tosses-czech-casino-owners-claim-in-poker-lawsuit/
