A Penn Senior And A Former Standout Philadelphia Basketball Player File In Federal Court After Alleged Beatings By Guards At Harrah's Atlantic City

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J., Aug. 12, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Mounting litigation involving alleged brutality against guests by security guards at Harrah's Atlantic City has entered a new chapter with the filing of two new complaints in Federal Court, according to attorneys representing the two young men who were separately victims of 'gang-like' attacks in the casino. The bloody beatings of Sean C. Oaks and Roscoe (Rob) Coney were videotaped on the casino's security system and cited in their complaints.

Paul D'Amato, Esq., and Michael Maggiano, Esq., after outlining the claims against the individual and corporate defendants, explained that the pattern and nature of the documented actions clearly constituted violations of not only state law, but also Federal civil rights statutes. In addition to the filings, they announced formal requests for criminal investigations by State (Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office and New Jersey Office of the Attorney General) and Federal law enforcement agencies (U.S. Attorney's Office and Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice).

"There is no place for this kind of brutal, barbaric conduct by anyone – let alone security officers in a hotel-casino – in a civil society," said Mr. Maggiano, of Ft. Lee, NJ. "It must be criminally investigated, over and above the civil litigation, and it must be stopped before someone is killed."

Mr. D'Amato added, "As a lifelong resident of the Atlantic City area, it is appalling that the defendants have given the impression that this type of documented, reckless, violent behavior is tolerated in our community. It must be condemned and those responsible held accountable through civil litigation and the criminal justice system."

The complaints (https://ecf.njd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/DktRpt.pl?307603 / https://ecf.njd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/DktRpt.pl?307775, respectively) of Mr. Oaks, 26, of suburban Philadelphia, and a Penn cognitive science major and classical guitar instructor, and Mr. Coney, 25, of Philadelphia, a marketing executive and standout player at St. Joseph's Prep and Millersville University, are on the public U.S. District Court docket. Battered and dazed, both Mr. Oaks and Mr. Coney are shown on security videos being thrown into the in-house jail cell after their beatings.

Mr. Oaks, who visited the casino on May 14^th, said he vividly recalled hearing his attackers at one point state, "If you have to break his arms."

"I thought I was dying. It felt like I was going to die," Mr. Coney stated after reviewing the September 21, 2013 videotape in which he was beaten by a nightstick wielding Atlantic City police officer that was apparently moonlighting as a security guard. Following his beating, at one point he is shown unconscious, face down in a pool of his own blood.

Both men are still suffering as a result of their horrific ordeals. Their complaints seek compensatory and punitive damages from the defendants.

Besides Harrah's, the Caesars corporation owns the following Atlantic City casinos: Caesars, Showboat, and Bally's.  As part of the filing there are requests for a litany of corporate security-related records, surveillance tapes, and the deposition of Gary Loveman, the President & Chief Executive Officer of Caesars.

The complaints state in part, "The conduct by and through agents, servants, and employees of the defendants was outlandish, outrageous, willful, wanton, intentional, reckless, negligent, careless, and done without any excuse or justification and further demonstrated a corporate culture through management that brute aggressive, physical, violent, and unbridled brute force is an appropriate method of dealing with guests and business invitees. The attack was made at the approval, behest, and direction, as well as and/or indirect participation of supervising management."

It also contends that as a consequence of the reduction in the budget for the security departments, less qualified individuals were hired; there was less efforts relative to the pre-screening investigation of potential employees; there was less training for new employees; there was less periodic training for employees; and there was consequently less supervision of security officers relative to the day-to-day activities."

SOURCE D’Amato Law Office

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