The Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem is in Northampton County Court this week defending itself against a lawsuit brought by a man who got drunk at the casino and later beat his then-fiance.

The man, Nicholas Mullins, 31, of Lock Haven, Pa., is suing the casino for unspecified monetary damages for allegedly having served him too much to drink.

As the civil trial opened this week, his lawyer, Stuart M. Niemtzow, said his client had 15 double Jamisons at the casino. He got drunk and later badly beat his girlfriend, Caitlin Shields, at a nearby hotel, drawing a four-year state prison sentence in the Jan. 23 incident, our sister website, LehighValleyLive.com, reports, adding:

"The question is whether Sands served him while he was physically intoxicated and whether that alcohol played a part, however small, in the fight that ensued later," Niemtzow said during opening arguments on Tuesday.

"Nick is here not asking for sympathy," Niemtzow told jurors. "He's only asking from you whether he deserves what the law allows him to get, which is compensation. He's not looking for a big payday. He's looking for compensation for what was taken away from him."

As for the casino, Sands attorney Kevin J. Ruane said Mullins was never served while he was visibly intoxicated. Andhe fight was hours after Mullins consumed his last drink, he added.

Details from LehighValleyLive.com:

Jurors saw a surveillance video pared down from the 10 hours he spent on the casino floor on Jan. 22. The video shows him consuming 15 free drinks. Shields drank 12, Niemtzow said. Niemtzow maintains Mullins and Shields paid for two additional drinks in a restaurant, although that consumption wasn't on camera.

Niemtzow warned jurors to watch Mullins chug drinks, spill one on a poker table, have trouble getting money out of his pocket and bump into other patrons.

In the criminal case, Mullins later pleaded guilty to aggravated assault, although he maintains he beat Shields in self-defense.

The civil trial is expected to last through the week.

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