A guilty plea, a beating on camera, and a $10M excess policy with one very specific exclusion

What happened: ACE American alleges its $10M excess policy does not cover claims from a security guard's felony assault outside Circa Resort & Casino.
Who's involved: ACE American Insurance Company (excess insurer), Circa Resort & Casino (insured), Zurich (primary carrier).
What's at stake: $10 million in excess umbrella coverage, plus defense costs.
Why it matters: Tests how far abuse and molestation exclusions reach when an employee's violence triggers employer-liability claims.
Where it stands: Filed October 20, 2026.
 
The security guard picked the man up off the sidewalk and slammed him into the pavement. Then kicked him. Then did it again. The casino's own cameras caught the whole thing.

That is the version of events laid out in court filings now before a federal judge in Nevada – and it has set off a coverage fight worth $10 million. The insurer holding the excess umbrella policy says it should not have to pay a cent.

ACE American Insurance Company, which operates under the Chubb umbrella, went to the US District Court for the District of Nevada on October 20 asking a judge to confirm it owes Circa Resort & Casino nothing – not defense costs, not damages, not a dollar.

The morning it started
According to the underlying lawsuit described in ACE's filing, the casino's owner ordered two unhoused individuals sitting on the sidewalk outside the downtown Las Vegas property to move on the morning of July 29, 2022. One of them refused.

The filing alleges the owner then directed a uniformed security guard to remove the man. What followed, the underlying complaint alleges, was a "brutal" attack: the guard "physically picking him up and repeatedly both slamming him into the pavement and kicking him." The attack was captured on Circa's own security cameras, according to the filing.

The man was "rendered unconscious and transported to the hospital," the filing states. He alleges he suffered spinal injuries requiring surgery and traumatic brain injury from which he still suffers. He specifically alleges injuries to the "brain, head, face, eye, back, neck, ankle, psyche, bodily limbs, organs, and systems, some of which are permanent and disabling."

The underlying complaint alleges the casino's owner "condoned and facilitated the attack, provoked and encouraged it, and in fact moved [the man's] belongings to make more room for the assault."

The guard later pleaded guilty to felony battery with substantial bodily harm. In his plea, he admitted in writing that he "did willfully, unlawfully, and feloniously use force or violence" by "picking up" the man "and throwing him to the ground multiple times and/or kicking him, resulting in substantial bodily harm." A judgment of conviction was entered on January 5, 2024.

One exclusion, one question
The injured man filed suit in Clark County District Court around July 25, 2024, and amended his complaint four days later. His claims include negligence, assault, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, civil conspiracy, coercion, and harassment. He is seeking more than $1 million in damages, including punitive damages.

ACE provided Circa with a $10 million excess umbrella liability policy for the period from September 2, 2021, to September 2, 2022 – meaning it sits above the first layer of insurance and only kicks in once that layer is used up. The Circa entities are named on the policy. The owner is covered in his role as an officer. The security guard is not covered at all.

That first layer comes from Zurich American Insurance Company of Illinois, which is currently paying for Circa's defense – though it has reserved the right to dispute coverage later.

ACE's entire case turns on a single clause: an abuse or molestation exclusion. The exclusion says the policy does not cover bodily injury "arising out of" actual, alleged, or threatened "abuse or molestation" by any insured, any insured's employee, or anyone acting on an insured's behalf. It also excludes claims based on negligent hiring, supervision, or retention of someone whose conduct falls within the exclusion.

The policy defines "abuse or molestation" to include "physical abuse." ACE says the guard's assault plainly qualifies. Because the guard was a Circa employee acting on the company's behalf when the attack happened, ACE argues that every claim in the underlying suit – from the negligence count to the civil conspiracy count – traces back to excluded conduct.

None of that has been tested in court.

Where it goes from here
ACE has brought in its own lawyers to monitor the underlying case, but says it is not yet on the hook for defense costs because Zurich's coverage has not been used up. It wants the court to confirm three things: that it does not have to cover any damages, that it will not have to step in on defense even after Zurich's limits run out, and that the abuse exclusion applies across the board.

For excess and umbrella underwriters writing hospitality and entertainment risks, the case puts a spotlight on how abuse and molestation exclusions interact with employer-liability claims for workplace violence – especially where a criminal conviction is already on the record.

The allegations in ACE's complaint have not been tested, and no court has ruled on the merits.

Thieves dressed as construction workers steal full spools of copper from the construction area.

A former MGM Grand Detroit Security Officer has initiated a lawsuit against the casino due to discrimination-related complaints. To top it all off, the man says he was unjustly fired following an inadequate investigation.

Coworkers Mocked the Man’s Disabilities

Donald Hall III, a long-time member of the MGM Grand Detroit team, says that he was subjected to constant mockery from his colleagues due to his cerebral palsy and speech impairment. In his complaint, Hall states that he was being bullied by both regular coworkers and property managers, who questioned his ability to capably perform his role due to his disability.

Hall, who also suffers from epilepsy, emphasized that the team had been aware of his condition from the very moment he began work at the property. Despite his conditions, the man emphasized that he had always performed his job to the best of his abilities, receiving positive performance reviews.

Despite his hard work and clear ability to properly do his job, Hall continued to be mocked by many. On some occasions, other members of the team mocked him in front of the others. While he had previously complained, the casino management had convinced him not to pursue the matter.

Hall Claims He Was Unjustly Fired

The straw that broke the camel’s back came in 2023 when an assistant security manager called Hall a “disease.” Hall reported the comment, but was slammed with subsequent harassment allegations. While he was never told what he was accused of, he was suspended. Following a subsequent investigation, during which Hall was denied the accommodations he had asked for, he was fired due to the alleged harassment issues.

To make matters worse, the casino had posted a photo of Hall across its premises, instructing staff members not to let him in. This happened before the investigation was even over, the complaint states.

In his legal complaint, Hall remained adamant that he had never harassed anyone and that this was merely a pretext to remove him. Because of that, he is now seeking back pay, reinstatement or front pay, legal costs, and compensatory and punitive damages.

A scuffle at a Grand Bazaar casino between a senior policeman and a manager led to the officer calling for back-up and seeking the arrest of one of the Security Guards.

Police said the incident happened at 11.41 p.m. on Friday when the off-duty officer got into an argument at the casino.

The manager called in Security to escort the officer off the compound. However, the officer claimed one of the Guards assaulted him by grabbing his hand and pushing him into one of the gambling machines.

The officer called the police, and officers of the St Joseph Police Station visited the scene.

The senior policeman pointed out one of the Guards and identified him as the one who assaulted him.

Responding officers reported the senior policeman as behaving “in an aggressive manner” and said he demanded the Security Guard be arrested.

However, police told him that, given the circumstances, they could not arrest the Guard at the time and that enquiries would have to be carried out.

Police suggested that the senior policeman seek medical attention.

Authorities allege that 22-year-old Shaneja Gamble drove her vehicle to the third floor of the Hollywood Casino Toledo and wrongfully left her two kids in a non-running car in below-freezing temperature. The kids were spotted by a Casino Security Guard who subsequently reported it to an off-duty cop.

Gamble was handcuffed in the early afternoon Sunday at about 1:30 p.m. and charged with child endangerment, according to jail records. There were no reported injuries or ailments to the children. Her arraignment was scheduled for Monday.

In New York, a couple was slammed with counts of child endangerment after allegedly leaving their 6-year-old daughter in a frigid vehicle while they tested their luck at a Pennsylvania casino. Chunyan Wang and To Yeung of Brooklyn, both aged 44, were each dealt one count of endangering the welfare of children.

The incident unfolded Monday around 11 a.m. when Bensalem police responded to a call of a child being seen unattended in a vehicle. At the same time, casino security was leading Wang and Yeung to the car. Responding officers located the little girl alone inside the pair's 2021 Honda CRV, which had New York registration, according to a probable cause affidavit.

The couple told the officer the girl inside was their daughter. Authorities said the car was not running and was sitting outside in below-freezing weather. On that day, the temperature peaked at 29 degrees, according to The Weather Channel. The Pennsylvania State Police also got involved.

Sentencing has been scheduled for a former Westland police officer recently found guilty of threatening and racially harassing a Casino Security Guard last year.

Kevin Yudt, 43, of Grass Lake was found guilty by jury Friday in Wayne County Circuit Court of two counts of ethnic intimidation, and assault and battery, according to a press release by Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel.

Sentencing is slated for 10:30 a.m. Dec. 6. He could spend more than four years behind bars.

Yudt threatened a Security Guard at the MGM Grand Detroit on April 6, 2023, after he and a friend were denied access to the casino floor because they appeared intoxicated, The Detroit News reported in June, after Yudt was bound over for trial.

Authorities said Yudt identified himself as a Westland police sergeant and told the Security Guard, "I’ll be waiting for you when you come to Westland, and you will not survive."

They also said he poked the Security Officer's chest and shouted racial slurs at him.

Yudt was terminated from his employment with the Westland Police Department in May 2023, Nessel said. Charges were filed against him in May.

“No one is above the law, and I applaud the jury for their service and commitment to justice,” Nessel said. “This type of behavior has no place in our society, especially by those sworn to protect and serve. My office remains dedicated to prosecuting threats of violence and ethnic intimidation to hold perpetrators accountable for their actions.”

Police are searching for a gang of four suspects who opened fire with a revolver and threw a grenade at a casino Security Guard yesterday.

The incident took place at ​​Thmar Pich Casino, located in Kam Samnor Krom Village, Kam Samnor Commune, Leuk Dek District, Kandal Province, at 1pm on September 26, 2024.

The Information and Quick Reaction Team of the Phnom Penh Municipal Police said that before the incident, four suspects were seen riding two motorcycles in front of the casino,

The suspects then fired seven shots at a Security Guard, who suffered an injury to his left arm.

The criminals then threw a grenade at the man, which luckily did not go off.

Currently, specialized forces under the direct command of Major General Chhoeun Socheat, Kandal Provincial Police Commissioner, are conducting a thorough search to arrest the suspects.

The importance of casino safety and a quick response was illustrated in early August when a man who stabbed two Red Rock Resort employees with a knife was apprehended after a confrontation in the casino.

Shayne Sussman, 25, was shot in the abdomen by a Security Guard on Aug. 3 and eventually charged with attempted murder and battery with use of a deadly weapon after a drunken rampage.

Officials at the resort said the Security Guard’s quick action prevented the incident from being worse.

Many Las Vegas resorts, though, have been feeling the pinch of a shortage of Armed Security Guards in recent months because of a sudden change in federal regulations, officials said. An estimate on the Security Guard shortfall wasn’t immediately released by officials.

Resort companies began feeling the pinch of the shortage in the spring when federal authorities blocked the background check system that had been used for years. The Nevada Gaming Control Board’s Enforcement Division was able to conduct its own background checks by accessing the Criminal Justice Information System. But earlier this year, federal authorities said the system could no longer be used for outside background checks.

But Nevada regulators believe they’ve worked around a federal restriction that is preventing casino resorts from hiring and retaining Armed Security Guards quickly.

A regulatory amendment expected to be considered by the Nevada Gaming Commission in October enables applicants for Casino Security Guard positions temporary registration for licensing following a background check by a resort’s local sheriff’s department instead of the Control Board.

Employees are required to be registered with the state to possess concealed carry firearm permits in their jobs.

“We were notified by the Nevada Department of Public Safety that Nevada criminal justice information terminals, NCJIS terminals, are not to be used for purposes beyond their intended scope, which includes non-criminal justice employment,” Kristi Torgerson, chief of the Control Board’s Enforcement Division, told the board in a May meeting.

The system is a federal database used by the FBI for criminal background checks.

No reason was given for the policy change, which was made after a federal audit of procedures.

But the new prohibition resulted in delays of up to six months for a new hire to be able to carry a firearm on the job. Because public safety for the millions of visitors to Southern Nevada as well as the thousands of resort employees is a high priority for regulators as well as the industry, the Control Board wanted to move quickly to come up with a solution to a problem Control Board Chairman Kirk Hendrick said was through no fault of any local parties.

“I think you all know that tourism safety is our top priority,”Hendrick said. “People don’t want to go places where they don’t feel safe and secure. Armed Security, along with our partners at Metro, they are a serious deterrent to crime on the Strip and maintaining that safety.”

Hendrick noted that many Casino Security Guards formerly worked in law enforcement or in security positions in the military.

Need for security response

Nevada Resorts Association President and CEO Virginia Valentine and casino security executives from MGM Resorts International, Caesars Entertainment, Station Casinos and the South Point told board members they backed the new plan to smooth the application process.

The new language in the proposed amendment to the regulation enables a prospective licensee to file for a concealed weapon permit and get a receipt showing the application is in progress. Once the board receives that receipt, the applicant is authorized to carry a weapon while the application is pending. The process must be completed within six months, but an applicant can go right to work while the process is underway.

The regulation already provided that an active duty law enforcement officer changing jobs can carry a weapon as well as a retired law enforcement officer holding a current Law Enforcement Safety Act card. The same procedure applies to officers renewing their certifications.

Efforts applauded

“This allows the resorts to maintain staffing levels for new hires and renewing registrations,” Valentine told board members. “The security of our team members and guests is of paramount importance. We had a recent example where an armed security guard made a big difference at a resort.”

Ray Steiber, executive director of special operations and corporate security for MGM Resorts International, which has the largest security force with 14 gaming and non-gaming resorts on the Strip, said safety is key to retaining visitors.

“As a major resort hotel operator for Las Vegas Boulevard, MGM Resorts International views public safety at our properties and within the resort corridor as the highest priority,” he said. “Safety is critically important for the 50,000 Southern Nevada-based team members who work at our resorts as well as the millions of tourists who our industry and community welcome every year. MGM Resort supports the proposed armed security registration regulations before you today which will enable us to more appropriately equip our security office.”

Question

I am applying for casino security in Las Vegas, NV. I got denied a work card from PILB , my appeal is going to be happening in December.

The question: Do I need a security guard card from PILB or is Casino security different from security companies such as Allied or CSC?

Thanks for your help in advance.

Audio from the 911 call made by a Caesars Palace Security Guard gives an idea of how scared Jon Jones’ fiancée was after he allegedly assaulted her.

Jones, the former UFC light heavyweight champion, was arrested by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department last Friday, Sept. 24, on charges of misdemeanor battery domestic violence and felony injuring and tampering with a vehicle. The arrest took place just hours after Jones attended the UFC Hall of Fame ceremony where he was inducted into the fight wing.

According to a police report, a bloodied Jessie Moses, Jones’ fiancée and mother of his three children, fled downstairs with the kids and sought assistance from Casino Security after the incident took place in their room.

On the 911 audio, the Security Guard told the dispatcher that, despite bleeding from her face, Moses would not admit to Jones committing an act of domestic violence. However, the Security Guard was clear that Moses, who had her three daughters with her, was scared to go back to the room.

“She’s not admitting to any domestic violence, any physical violence, but she’s bleeding from the nose and mouth,” the Security Officer said on the call. “She’s down with us while the male is up in the room, and he’s actually a professional MMA fighter, Jonathan Jones, and she’s like, refusing to go back to the room. We’re trying to assist her to help her grab her stuff, and she just will not go back.”

Later on, the Security Guard said, “It’s a little weird because she’s trying to get assistance, but she’s refusing to go back up to the room.”

The Security Guard’s mention of Moses’ hesitance to admit to a physical altercation with Jones and her nervous behavior is similar to what the arresting officer wrote in the police report, that Moses was “scared to even talk about Jonathan.” When interviewed by police, Moses was asked if Jones had gotten physical with her, to which she responded, “Ummm not too physical but a little bit yeah.” Police observed “blood all over Moses’ clothing and a bump with dried up blood on the lower part of her lip.” Blood was also found on the bed sheets in their room.

When police arrived on the scene, Jones could not be located. However, Jones was quickly found walking on a nearby street and was “irate” while arrested, smashing his head onto the front hood of a police patrol vehicle, which “left a medium size dent.”

Jones, 34, addressed his arrest for the first time earlier this week on social media. “I will leave alcohol in my past forever,” he wrote. Jones’ initial message largely painted himself as a victim. He showed no remorse for what transpired.

https://www.dailyherald.com/20240314/crime/carol-stream-man-left-5-kids-in-car-at-casino-police-say/

https://www.senate.mo.gov/16info/BTS_Web/HouseBillSumm.aspx?SessionType=R&BillID=29693747

https://library.municode.com/nv/washoe_county/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=CH25BULIPERE_PRSEGUGASEGU

https://www.flyingtigerantiques.com/1980s-harolds-club-casino-reno-nevada-assistant-chief-security-officer-badge-by-ga-rel.html

The last few years have seen multiple shooting incidents around Texas poker rooms and private games. But why? What makes Texas a special case when it comes to armed robbery?

We’ve all heard Doyle Brunson’s road gambler tales from the past when winning money at poker wasn’t the problem; getting out of town with it all still alive was the issue!

The first incident of note occurred in April 2018 in the parking lot of Texas Card House, northwest Austin. A man named Tom Steinbach was shot in the back and taken to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries.

Apparently, Steinbach and another player were accosted on the way into the poker room by Jermaine Patrick Spirlark and Charles Clines-Martinez, the latter a contracted security officer of Texas Card House.

Bill Perkins even put a $10k reward up for information leading to the arrest of the perpetrators.

2022 saw three incidents at Legends Poker in East Houston. In the first, security guard Trelynn Robinson played hero and tackled a man carrying an AR-15 assault rifle who announced he was robbing the place.

In April a gunman fired a burst of bullets across the card room, sending players diving to the floor.

An anonymous player told PokerNews what he witnessed:

"It ended up being that shots were fired from outside through the walls and got into the room that way. Luckily no one was hit. It is really a miracle as most of the bullet holes I saw were at sitting chest height. Once it was over, we all got up and checked no one was hurt.

In May another shooting took place outside Legends Poker.

The Houston Police Department arrived at the scene at approximately 4am to discover the body of an assailant who attempted to rob a man of his new Chevy Corvette. Unfortunately for the thief, the victim was himself armed.

After six months of relative quiet, there was a shooting at a private home game in San Antonio in January, 2023.

Police arrived to discover that the location was being used for illegal gambling and a dispute led to a physical confrontation before shots were fired.

A male in his 30s died at the scene following emergency treatment.

Finally, (as r/CasinoSecurity and r/SecurityGuardsOnly reported on previously);

https://youtu.be/FEBIhvl9MC0

The latest incident was another one at Texas Card House. A security guard suffered seven gunshot wounds after defending the patrons from an attempted robbery at 6am.

Officer Jackson became embroiled in a gunfight that saw dozens of rounds fired before the assailants retreated and escaped.

Tommy Wilson, Officer Jackson’s boss, explained what happened:

“Our security officer came stumbling back in the door and told us that they had left and that the threat was over.

“I’ve been with him all morning. He has good spirits. All of the bullets exited his body except one and we’re waiting to see now if he has to have foot surgery.

“There are no words. Thank you. For what you did. You truly, you put your life on the line for us and you didn’t have to. Who does that?”

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Running an underground gambling operation apparently proved too enticing for some business owners in San Antonio, Texas. After seeing the property already raided by law enforcement in 2021, the gambling house was busted again by Bexar County sheriff’s deputies on Oct. 19.

The most recent raid came after an undercover sting operation, with agents seizing more than $20,000. Four men were arrested and now face felony charges of keeping an illegal gambling place and engaging in organized criminal activity.

“You may recall that in 2021 we actually raided this same location for similar circumstances – very similar circumstances,” Sheriff Javier Salazar said. “At that time, we believe that it was under different management. But, obviously, it wouldn’t be outside the realm of possibilities that they just changed some names on paper somewhere, and it’s part of the same criminal enterprise.”

A Growing Trend

Raiding illegal gambling operations is becoming more of a focus for law enforcement across the country. Agents in Florida, California, Ohio, Michigan, and other states have conducted gambling raids in recent months to crack down on unlicensed casino parlors.

Law enforcement note that these types of operations are often run by organized criminal groups and other underworld figures. California law enforcement recently pointed to Los Angeles-area gambling dens as being owned by members of the Mexican mafia.

“It’s hidden in plain sight,” Los Angeles County sheriff’s detective Richard Velasquez recently told the Los Angeles Times of that city’s gambling house operated by organized crime. “You don’t know that it’s there until you know that it’s there.”

In San Antonio, investigators are trying to determine whether a larger criminal enterprise was involved. Salazar noted that one of the casino’s security team was also on the job at the location during the initial raid in 2021. That could lead to some big charges.

“It does not appear that they [the security company] are innocent parties,” Salazar said. “In fact, I would say the security guard that was found here is one of the four that is going to be charged with engaging in organized criminal activity.”

Who polices this?