Published on: December 2, 2024, 10:22h.
Last updated on: December 2, 2024, 11:21h.
A federal judge has ruled that a Massachusetts man who was robbed and assaulted after leaving Bally’s Twin River Casino in Lincoln, RI, cannot claim damages from the casino for the incident that occurred in August 2021.
Edward Peduto, the victim, claimed that his attackers targeted him at the Twin River and followed him to a service station where they assaulted him, resulting in severe injuries and significant medical expenses.
The lawsuit did not specify the amount of money stolen during the robbery.
Legal Argument
Peduto’s legal team argued that the casino failed to monitor its patrons properly and provide adequate security, despite previous incidents of violence and robbery involving casino customers in the area.
They contended that Bally’s Twin River had knowledge of the risks and should have anticipated such incidents, making them liable for Peduto’s injuries.
Police records indicated several robberies and violent incidents near the casino premises, supporting the argument that the casino was aware of the dangers to its customers.
The judge, however, disagreed with this assessment, stating that the attack was unforeseeable and occurred far from the casino’s premises where they had no control or security measures in place to prevent such incidents.
According to the judge, a duty of care depends on foreseeability of harm and the ability to prevent it, which was not the case in this situation.
Therefore, the judge dismissed the case without prejudice, meaning it cannot be filed again in the future.