Charles Oakley Suing Vegas Casino for Alleged ‘Beatdown’

Former New York Knicks forward and current Charlotte Bobcats assistant coach Charles Oakley claims he took a severe beating from the security guards at a Sin City casino. The Las Vegas Sun has the details: “Attorneys for Oakley, 47, filed suit in Clark County District Court in Las Vegas against the Aria hotel-casino at MGM Resorts International’s CityCenter complex on the Las Vegas Strip. Also sued were five named security officers as well as security officers ‘Does 1-10.’ The suit says Oakley was an invited guest at Aria’s VIP pool area on May 28 [2010] when he left the area and was then prevented from re-entering the VIP section by Aria security officers and staff. ‘After a verbal altercation’ with security officers, Oakley attempted to return to his room when he was ‘assaulted’ by the officers in a secluded area of the resort, the lawsuit alleges. The suit called this a ‘gang-style beatdown’ by at least five security officers and says they wrestled Oakley to the ground, punched him, handcuffed him and detained him before he was taken by paramedics to Desert Springs hospital for treatment in the emergency room. The incident left Oakley with injuries to his neck, back, head and wrist, ‘all or some of which may be permanent and disabling,’ the suit alleges. A spokeswoman said MGM Resorts International, which likely hasn’t yet been served with the suit, generally doesn’t comment on pending litigation. The suit alleges negligence, assault, assault with excessive force, battery, false imprisonment and defamation. The defamation count says the handcuffing of Oakley was witnessed by hotel guests and the suit says they were led to ‘falsely believe and assume that Oakley had committed and been guilty of some crime or wrongdoing.’ The suit seeks unspecified general, special and punitive damages.”