Bendigo and Adelaide Bank Lose Case Against The Crown Casino
The Bendigo and Adelaide Bank decided to file a lawsuit in 2009 against the Crown Casino in Melbourne Australia after one of their ex-bank employees Kate Jamieson stole over $3 million dollars from the bank and then spent the money at the casino tables.
The Bendigo and Adelaide Bank had pursued this case for the last 6 years in an attempt to recover millions of dollars but were unable to get a verdict. Although the bank has spent large sums of money in legal fees pursuing a verdict, it has decided to drop the case before it could go to trial and walk away without recovering any money. The bank reached a deal with the Crown Casino who has agreed to cover the legal expenses incurred by the bank.
The Crown Casino welcomed the news and is happy that the matter has finally been settled. If the Crown Casino ended up losing the case, it would have opened itself up to more lawsuits from companies who believe their employees stole money and spent it at the casino tables. Bendigo and Adelaide Bank did not make a statement and reveal why they suddenly decided to drop the case.
The Bank was suing the Crown Casino for millions as a recent amendment back in October 2014 increased the claim from $1,508,546 to $3,060,077. In the claim, the bank has stated that Jamieson was spending as much as $20,000 a night at the casino tables on a regular basis and the Crown did not pay sufficient attention to investigate and find out her source of income.
The claim stated that
Between about July 2001 and May 2004, Jamieson paid at least $3,060,077 of the stolen funds to Crown. In recognition of her expenditure on gambling at the casino, Crown extended Jamieson other privileges including free meals and drinks; accommodation; tickets for herself and friends to events including the Australian Open Tennis, AFL Football, the Australian Grand Prix, The Melbourne Cup and limousine travel
The claim stated that since Jamieson spent most of her money in hard cash the Crown encouraged her to gamble even more and turned a blind eye on purpose. The claim stated that 95% of the money Jamieson stole was spent at the casino and hence the Crown must take ownership and responsibility to return the money back to the bank.
The Crown Casino did not disclose any information on whether it had reached an out of court settled with the Bendigo and Adelaide Bank.
