Several years ago, at the Lumiere Palace in St. Louis, Missouri, the then-owner and general manager were accused of negligence following the death of a nine-year-old boy.
The incident happened in 2018 wherein the boy had attended an indoor birthday party on August 12. According to the St Louis Post-Dispatch, the hotel and the boy’s parents have settled the issue.
Ed Harris Jr died after drowning in the hotel’s swimming pool. He had attended the birthday party alongside his mom, Deanna Harris. Somewhere during the party, guests noted Harris at the bottom of the pool.
He was removed, given CPR, and later taken to a local hospital. Unfortunately, he died three days later. Harris was a son of a St. Louis firefighter in Tower Grove, south of the town.
The parent filed a lawsuit against then-owner Tropicana Entertainment and then-manager, vice president, and general manager Brian Marsh.
Today, the hotel ownership has changed to Gaming and Leisure Properties, run by Caesars Entertainment. Also, the management plans to rename the property to Horseshoe St Louis.
The Casino Hotel’s Negligence
The lawsuit described how Tropicana Entertainment and Brian did not ensure the pool was safe for visitors. It continues to say that the management knew there was a birthday party despite having a rule restricting parties around the pool.
Another issue noted in the lawsuit is that the pool water was murky, preventing people from seeing the bottom clearly. Also, the pool lights were off while the dividing floats between deep and shallow ends were not present.
Another safety issue is that the ring buoy rope was tangled and not long enough to cover the length of the pool. Generally, Lumiere Palace Casino and Hotel violated over 13 city and state safety codes. The plaintiffs also argued that the casino did not offer ideal supervision and lifesaving equipment.
Another thing included in the lawsuit is that management was aware of the unsafe conditions of their swimming pool before the accident. It notes that the casino hotel had been warned and notified of several violations before Harris’ accident.
The Settlement
The plaintiffs had asked for $25,000 for punitive damages and more as the court would deem fit. The case was to start on March 14, 2022, but the parties involved reached an agreement before the opening statements. Fortunately, the settlement was approved by Judge Madeline Connolly on Thursday.
Caesars Plans to Rebrand Isle Casino Black Hawk Too
Lumiere Palace Casino and Hotel is not the only property Caesars Entertainment is rebranding. In fact, the firm is rebranding all its casino properties in the country. Interestingly, Caesars is bringing the Horseshoe brand to Colorado, too, renaming Isle Casino Black Hawk.
The property will also have several renovations, which are not expected to disrupt the usual business operations. The casino has existed for over 20 years under different ownership.
Now, it has operated under Caesars since 2020, offering sports betting, slot machines, and table games. The property also has a hotel and several dining options.
Once Isle Casino Black Hawk rebrands, it will become the eighth Horseshoe casino owned by Caesars. Apart from St. Louis, the casino developer is also bringing the Horseshoe brand to Las Vegas and other cities.
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