Vegas Casino Allegedly Drugged Lawyer, Lawsuit Claims

Licensed attorney Michael Duke Thomson recalls exiting the high-limit blackjack room at the Aria Resort & Casino around midnight on January 23, 2024, with “a few thousand dollars” in chips. 

His next memory is waking up the next morning handcuffed to a wall in the casino’s security holding area, facing $75,000 in debt to the house and a felony fraud charge, later dismissed after he made full restitution.

Claims of Being Drugged 

The 64-year-old, who described himself as a longtime patron with a “pristine” repayment record at the popular casino in Las Vegas, filed a federal lawsuit against the venue last Thursday. In the lawsuit, first reported by The Independent, the man claims he was secretly drugged that night.

Thomson claimed that his incapacitation should have been “obvious to anyone,” but still, no one from the casino staff did anything to intervene. Therefore, he is accusing the casino of failing to ensure his safety and allowing him to continue gambling prior to detaining him without care. 

“It is inequitable for Aria to retain [Thomson’s] funds that were procured and retained in the circumstances described above,” the complaint states.

Thomson, who now lives in San Juan, Puerto Rico, also claims that Aria has not offered the necessary answers regarding the events that took place that particular night. 

“All further information regarding [Thomson’s] condition and the circumstances of his detainment… are within Aria’s and MGM’s exclusive knowledge, custody, and control, and have not been provided,” the complaint says.

No Memory of the Outstanding Markers 

According to the complaint, Thomson had a long history of honoring the casino’s credit instruments, known as markers. On the controversial night, the man remembers taking out a $10,000 marker, which he claims he repaid in a few hours’ time. 

After leaving the blackjack table, he remembers waking up with handcuffs around his wrists at around 11 am on January 24.

Casino staff told him that he had been found sleeping in the Sky Suites lounge, and allegedly lashed out when woken, which led to his detention. 

The following day, his VIP host informed him that he supposedly had eight outstanding markers totaling $75,000, despite having no memory of taking them out. Some of the markers had signatures that only vaguely resembled his own, said the man.

The dispute eventually led to criminal charges and an arrest, with bail set at $10,000. According to the complaint, the man ended up paying $15,480 to get out of jail. The charges against him were ultimately dropped after he paid off the markers to eliminate the stress of a pending criminal case.

Thomson’s lawsuit maintains that he was deliberately drugged, that Aria failed to act responsibly by allowing him to gamble while incapacitated, and that the markers issued under those conditions are invalid.The attorney is alleging unjust enrichment against the casino, claiming that some signatures may have been forged, and seeking a jury trial with damages to be determined.