Australian billionaire and ex-Crown Resorts shareholder James Packer is once again being sued by a security guard whom he allegedly assaulted in 2016. The guard, some 12 years older than the businessman, claimed to have been assaulted after failing to recognize Packer. Now, Packer and his team are allegedly avoiding paying the legal fees stemming from the initial settlement.
In the original case, Dr Iskandar Chaban said that James Packer arrived at Crown Melbourne on New Year’s Day in 2016. At first, Chaban did not recognize the businessman and mistook him for an intoxicated casino goer.
As a result, the security guard tried to stop Packer from entering the venue, which infuriated the casino mogul. Still holding a controlling stake at Crown Resorts at the time, Packer became enraged.
Standing at 6’4” (193 cm) and 48 at the time, the businessman allegedly pushed the older man and berated the guard over his failure to recognize him. Packer allegedly threatened the security guard that he would make sure to have him fired over the incident.
After that, Chaban was taken into the back office and was allegedly bullied by four casino managers. The managers forced the man to give them his uniform and escorted him to a nearby train station.
Crown Had to Cover Chaban’s Legal Fees
The initial lawsuit says that following the incident, Chaban was taken to the hospital because of sustained neck and back injuries. He was also diagnosed with a post-traumatic stress disorder he developed because of the bullying he was allegedly subjected to.
Packer and Crown originally reached an AUD 100,000 with Chaban, agreeing to also cover his legal costs on a no-admission basis. However, in his new lawsuit, Chaban claims that the businessman and the casino company did not cover his legal costs.
For reference, Chaban had to pay AUD 185,000 to his lawyers and AUD 77,000 in lawsuit costs, all of which were supposed to be covered by Packer and Crown Resorts.
In a statement provided to Herald Sun, an Australian news outlet, Crown Resorts said that it had not breached the settlement.
The Victorian Supreme Court has ordered both parties to attend mediation in December.
In the meantime, workers at Crown Melbourne, the same property where the incident allegedly happened, recently threatened to strike because they were unhappy with the conditions they were getting. However, the strike was later called off as the workers reached an agreement with the casino company.