Resorts World Las Vegas and former president, Scott Sibella, are pushing back against a lawsuit filed by Robert “RJ” Cipriani. Their legal team has filed a motion urging the dismissal of the six-count lawsuit in a US District Court.
Cipriani has accused Sibella and Resorts World of overlooking illegal gambling activities at the Strip casino. However, Sibella’s attorney, J. Colby Williams, has argued that Cipriani has an exaggerated sense of importance and self-anoints himself as a vigilante aiming to cleanse gaming floors of high-stakes gamblers he deems a threat.
Sibella departed Resorts World in September for violating company policies and the terms of his employment agreement, according to the company. The motion to dismiss the lawsuit claims that Cipriani’s allegations lack substance and are driven by personal vendettas rather than factual evidence.
Resorts World Las Vegas is a popular property on the Las Vegas Strip, recently making headlines for a surprise appearance by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle during Katy Perry’s performance at the Resorts World Theatre.
Cipriani is seeking compensatory and punitive damages, accusing Resorts World and Sibella of negligence, civil conspiracy, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. According to Tamara Peterson, attorney for Resorts World, Cipriani has exhibited a pattern of inappropriate and unlawful behavior in casinos across the US, often resulting in his barring from numerous properties, dismissing his allegations as frivolous and predatory.
Cipriani’s California-based attorney, Marshall Cole, sees the motions to dismiss as distractions and argues that Resorts World and Sibella are attempting to divert attention from the core issues of the case by launching character attacks. The court is expected to rule on these motions within a month. In February, the Nevada Gaming Control Board concluded a year-long investigation into allegations against Sibella, determining them to be unfounded.