CARSON CITY, Nev., April 14 (UPI) -- Nevada has agreed to pay damages to a professional gambler who was wrongly detained at a Las Vegas casino almost a decade ago.
James Grosjean has already been awarded damages from the Imperial Palace, the Las Vegas Sun reports. Security guards there handcuffed him and searched him after state gambling control agents apparently mistook him for someone else.
The state Board of Examiners approved paying Grosjean up to $65,000 in damages Tuesday.
Grosjean, author of books about gambling and a member of the Blackjack Hall of Fame, charged in litigation his detention was not just a case of mistaken identity. He said the state and casino were engaged in a campaign to intimidate professional gamblers.
A court awarded Grosjean $99,000 in compensatory damages and $400,000 in punitive damages. The state Supreme Court ordered a new trial on punitive damages, although that does not affect the compensatory award.
