Self-Excluded Gambler Drops Missouri Lawsuit for False Arrest

In October, facing motions to dismiss by both the Missouri Gaming Commission and Harrah’s Maryland Heights Casino, a self-excluded gambler dismissed all of her claims that the state and the casino had violated her rights when she was removed from the Maryland Heights facility. Although Christine Scialfa had consented to her removal from any casino in the state when she signed the state’s self-exclusion form, her false arrest claims alleged that the casino improperly enticed her to gamble, causing the state’s gaming regulators to improperly arrest her for trespassing on casino property.

The state asserted its sovereign immunity in motions to dismiss, while Harrah’s argued that it could not be liable for complying with the state’s self-exclusion regulations and that Scialfa specifically had waived her claims. In a filing submitted on the morning of oral argument on the defendants’ motions to dismiss, Scialfa voluntarily dropped her claims for false arrest and emotional injury. Scialfa v. Harrah’s Maryland Heights Casino LLC (St. Louis County, No. 05CC-002474).