A jury in Clark County, Las Vegas, Nevada, has awarded $1.6 million in compensatory damages to Larry and Juel Stephens in their lawsuit against Red Rock Casino. The couple brought suit against the casino after Mr. Stephens suffered a cardiac arrest while visiting the casino. The Stephens alleged that the casino’s security did not properly respond with the necessary measures in CPR and AED protocols which resulted in Mr. Stephens suffering a preventable anoxic brain injury. The lead attorney was Allen Bucknell of Goldberg & Osborne assisted by local counsel, Adam Levine and Daniel Marks of the Law Office of Daniel Marks.
Red Rock Resort Spa and Casino opened in 2006 as the flagship casino for Palace Stations. The casino is associated with one of the longest-running casino conglomerates. Red Rock requires all of its security officers to be trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and automated external defibrillator (AED) protocols. However, according to court documents, when Larry Stephens suffered a cardiac arrest while at Red Rock, the security officers failed to follow their training and administer CPR and apply an AED. Medical experts testified that if Red Rock security would have used these procedures Mr. Stephens would have made a full recovery from his heart attack. Instead, he suffered an anoxic brain injury that impairs his short term memory, judgment and ability to learn new information. Juel Stephens testified that they brought the lawsuit to ensure that other families would not suffer the harm caused by the casino’s security not properly responding to her husband’s cardiac arrest. Mrs. Stephens said that she hoped the verdict sent a message to casinos to make sure they understand that they are responsible to help patrons who suffer medical emergencies.
Goldberg & Osborne, a firm based in Phoenix, Arizona, has been assisting families and individuals with personal injury lawsuits since 1989. In this case, their attorneys and paralegals have worked with Stephens for more than 5 years gathering evidence, contacting experts and preparing for trial. Goldberg & Osborne argued that although Mr. Stephens survived, his anoxic shock brain injury was preventable. The jury agreed and awarded Larry Stephens $1,000,000 in compensatory damages, Juel Stephens $500,000 for loss of consortium and $105,000 in medical expenses incurred in treating the brain injury. When the jury’s decision was announced, Mrs. Stephens said, “The result will encourage casinos to make sure their [casino] security personnel are properly trained to avoid similar tragedies in the future.”