A lawsuit filed following a double fatal crash along the Atlantic City Expressway last summer claims the Tropicana casino wrongfully threw out visibly intoxicated patrons, thus setting in motion an early morning crash that left a 4-year-old and 35-year-old dead.
According to the suit recently filed in Atlantic County Superior Court by Shaina Davis-Holder, mother of the toddler killed in the crash, Tropicana, "in an act of recklessness, gross negligence and racial discrimination," threw out the group of six people from Philadelphia at about 5:30 a.m. on June 20, 2014.
A request for comment from Tropicana media relations was not immediately returned.
According to the document, Roselyn Kornegay, 45, who is now facing criminal charges as a result of the crash, and James Dennis, 35, who was pronounced dead at the scene as a result of the crash, were supervising an 18, 19 and 20 year old, along with the toddler.
The 20 and 18 year olds are brother and sister, respectively, and are the children of Kornegay. The 19-year-old is the boyfriend of the 18-year-old female.
The group were on vacation, pre-paid for a hotel room for three days and were not scheduled to check out until the following day. Dennis and Kornegay, who were in a relationship, were said to be gambling and drinking on the casino floor before being forced to leave, according to the suit.
Davis-Holder's lawyer, Raheem Watson, who led an eight-month investigation into the incident, asked why it was necessary for the casino to force the entire group to leave given the circumstances and the two adults being intoxicated after Tropicana served them.
According to the suit, the group was asked to leave because the casino suspected one of the 18, 19 or 20 year olds were gambling. Philadelphia-based attorney Watson disputes this claim. Documents also state that the three minors were also seen being served alcoholic beverages hours before the accident.
Asked if he disputes the claim that the minors were being served drinks, Watson said he did not, "...but the evidence is inconclusive on this anyway. However, we also don't think it's relevant to the claims either."
Court documents also indicate the two adults had consumed "countless" alcoholic beverages and Dennis was bleeding from the head when confronted by security at the hotel room about the possible underage gambling.
Following the 7 a.m. crash, the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office said Dennis and the toddler were in the front seats of the 1996 Ford F-250 pickup truck, while the three other passengers were riding in the truck bed.
Photos and video from the scene immediately after the crash show debris strewn about the roadway and and pickup having suffered major damages to the left side. The pickup truck apparently struck a guardrail before all the occupants were ejected.
Kornegay was charged last August with two counts of death by auto for operating a vehicle and causing death while under the influence of alcohol. She was also charged with three counts of assault by auto, and one count of endangering the welfare of a child, he added.
Watson declined to weigh in on how this suit could have an effect on Kornegay's status.
The complaint seeks damages in excess of $30 million for the estate of the child and surviving victims.
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