Published on: April 21, 2026, 07:13h.
Updated on: April 22, 2026, 06:47h.
- Failed settlement in alleged VIP casino drink spiking case
- Agent claims exposure to ketamine resulted in $2 million gambling losses
- Judge permitted trial to move forward prior to confidential agreement
A high-profile case involving a sports agent asserting that he was unknowingly administered ketamine while engaging in gambling at a VIP MGM Grand mansion is set to go to trial following unsuccessful settlement negotiations in a confidential hearing on Monday.
Dwight Manley, 60, who managed NBA superstar Dennis Rodman in the 1990s, alleged in his lawsuit that staff raised his credit limit to $3.5 million after he appeared disoriented, supposedly due to the effects of the drug, leading to a loss of $2 million in casino markers through blackjack.
Seeking answers, Manley hired a private investigator and launched a billboard campaign in Las Vegas offering a reward of $1 million for information regarding the alleged drugging.
Trial Ahead
The confidential settlement hearing held on Monday at the US District Court in Nevada followed Judge Miranda Du’s previous dismissal of MGM’s motion to dismiss the case. She determined that the plaintiff had provided sufficient evidence to substantiate a legitimate concern that the cocktail served to him by an MGM employee contained poison, resulting in his incapacitation when he signed the credit agreement in question.
Luxury Retreat
A frequent VIP patron of MGM Resorts, Manley had been invited to the opulent MGM Mansion, a lavish Italian-style getaway adorned with art by renowned artists including Picasso and Matisse. To make the trip even more special, MGM arranged a private jet for him and his companions.
On December 10 at around 1:30 p.m., Manley ordered an Old Fashioned that he described as unusually bitter. Despite his reservations, he consumed the drink and requested a second one. According to the lawsuit, he soon began experiencing severe disorientation.
During the ordeal, he broke a glass ashtray, resulting in a cut to his hand that bled onto the gambling table. Staff relocated him to another table, but aside from handing out Band-Aids, they did not provide any further medical assistance, according to the complaint.
However, they did increase his credit line—something he contends he was not in a position to authorize.
Medical Opinion
At approximately 5:15 p.m., Manley’s friends took him back to his villa, where he lost consciousness. The next day, he expressed his suspicion of being drugged. A subsequent medical evaluation concluded, “to a reasonable degree of medical certainty,” that Manley had indeed been poisoned with ketamine.
He initiated his lawsuit on November 10, 2022, accusing MGM of negligence, deceptive trade practices, unjust enrichment, and breaching an implied covenant, seeking damages exceeding $75,000.
Neither party has provided a comment in response to inquiries.
A prior version of this article incorrectly stated that a settlement had been reached, although it had not.