A wrongful death case kicked off this week with allegations that security guards working for a California casino restrained and suffocated an unarmed man who had been playing baccarat minutes earlier.
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Attorneys representing the family of the victim, Jonathan Jung, claim the man was restrained at Bell Gardens, Calif.’s Bicycle Casino as guards held him down on a parking lot pavement.
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One of the guards positioned his knee on Jung’s back, according to the lawsuit, as reported by Courtroom View Network (CVN).
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The casino disputes the plaintiff’s version of events of the 2022 incident.
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Casino Claims Meth Toxicity
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Counsel for Bicycle Casino said Jung’s death was linked to him using methamphetamine (meth).
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In opening arguments, it was claimed Jung died from meth toxicity. The guards weren’t responsible for the man’s death, a defense attorney added.
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Jung was “behaving erratically and posed a danger to others,” CVN reported, summarizing defense arguments.
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Terrance Jones and Minh Nguyen, the attorneys representing Jung’s family, argued that Jung was hearing voices and began to talk to himself while at a baccarat table in the casino, the report said.
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Casino staff ordered Jung to leave and he went to a parking lot, leaving $3,800 on the gaming table.
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Some three minutes after being restrained and having a knee placed on his back, Jung died in the parking lot, according to the plaintiff’s attorneys.
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Police had been alerted about Jung’s behavior and told he was suffering from emotional trauma, the plaintiff’s attorneys added. The confrontation, the legal team said, could have been de-escalated without the guards using “excessive, deadly force.”
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Attorneys for the casino countered that Jung was running in the parking lot and was avoiding capture by the trained security guards. The casino’s lawyer, Joshua Bordin-Wosk, denied allegations Jung was hogtied by the guards, and claimed the man was able to breathe during the entire incident, the report revealed.
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Relatives Seek $132M
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The plaintiff’s attorneys are seeking $132M in compensation for Jung’s family. The total represents $1M for each second Jung was improperly restrained, the lawyers explained.
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During the trial, jurors will likely view surveillance video, hear details on autopsy reports, and consider conflicting statements from witnesses.
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The civil court trial is being overseen by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Patrick Madden and will likely run through July 1.
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The post Dead Gambler’s Family Claims Wrongful Death at California Casino appeared first on Casino.org.
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