With a trial date looming, a Louisiana casino is demanding a local woman drop her lawsuit after surveillance video shows her stealing.
As previously reported, Connie Sue Broussard filed suit against Delta Downs Racetrack Casino Hotel and casino employee Travis Waters on Feb. 4, 2010, in Jefferson County District Court.
She claimed the casino wrongfully accused her of cheating and tampering with a slot machine.
However on June 16, the attorney for the defendants, James Doyle, filed a letter notifying the plaintiff's counsel that he obtained video surveillance of Broussard stealing money from a malfunctioning machine that she knew was not working properly.
The letter also calls Broussard's petition false, deeming her lawsuit frivolous and further demands that the petition be withdrawn by June 18 before 5 p.m.
"If you place your client on the witness stand and she states the same falsehoods included in her petition, I have every intention of destroying her in cross examination aided ... by the videotape," writes Doyle.
According to a courthouse official, the case is still slated to go to trial on June 20.
In her suit, Broussard claims she and her husband decided to travel to Delta Downs in Vinton, La., on Feb. 5, 2009.
Arriving between 11 a.m. and noon, Broussard proceeded to play various slot machines for several hours, winning money on some machines and losing on others, according to the complaint filed.
Broussard claims that when she attempted to cash her ticket vouchers several employees approached and detained her, the suit states.
"When she inquired about the detention, an employee of Defendant Delta Downs publicly stated that 'you know what you did' and further publicly and falsely accused Plaintiff of 'milking' the casino 'for over $13,000,'" the complaint says.
"Employees of Defendant Delta Downs then publicly seized the casino money vouchers as well as all cash in Plaintiff's possession."
Defendant Waters then allegedly led her to an isolated room where he and other employees interrogated her for an hour and a half. Broussard said they accused her of tampering with one of the slot machines so it would pay her more often, according to the complaint.
The suit states employees took all of Broussard's money from her, then took her to jail.
On Nov. 16, 2009, the casino dropped the felony theft charge against Broussard and the money was returned to her on Jan. 15, 2010, according to the complaint.
Broussard claims she experienced humiliation, embarrassment, emotional distress, mental anguish, fright, anger, aggravation, worry, loss of enjoyment of life, deprivation of liberty, invasion of privacy and pain from the incident.
Broussard is represented by Robert Keith Wade of the Law Offices of Robert Keith Wade in Beaumont and by Brian D. Sutton of Sutton and Jacobs in Beaumont.
Judge Bob Wortham, 58th District Court, is presiding over the litigation.
Case No. E185-861