Allegations date back to 2017
OJ Simpson has filed a lawsuit against the parent company of the Cosmopolitan Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, claiming he was defamed by the facility.
The incident dates back to November 2017. Cosmopolitan employees had allegedly informed celebrity news site TMZ that Simpson was drunk, unruly, and disruptive, which led to him being banned from the premises.
The lawsuit was filed late last week against Nevada Property 1 LLC. Simpson remains on parole in the state following his conviction in 2008 for assault with a weapon and armed robbery charges.
The specifics of the ban
In the lawsuit, Simpson detailed the series of events that saw him banned from the Las Vegas casino.
He was eating at a steakhouse with a couple of friends for a number of hours. As the party left the restaurant, a security guard gave Simpson a notice banning him from the property on the Las Vegas Strip. The former US football running back claims he was not given any reason for the ban.
security guard gave Simpson a notice banning him from the property
Simpson’s attorney, Malcolm LaVergne, claims his client’s reputation has been damaged as a result of hotel staff informing TMZ that Simpson “was drunk and became disruptive” while eating in the hotel’s Clique bar.
TMZ is not involved in the lawsuit. The Cosmopolitan’s spokesperson declined to comment.
The reaction to the TMZ report
At the time of the incident, Simpson had only been a free man for less than six weeks. Following the publication of the TMZ report, the celebrity was widely condemned on social media.
Shortly after the report went public, a parole officer turned up at Simpson’s home unannounced. He carried out alcohol and drug tests on the former player and concluded there had been no violation of probation. The complaint filed now claims this
ultimately determined that the Cosmopolitan’s assertions against Simpson were false.”
OJ since leaving prison
Since leaving prison, Simpson has been living in a gated community on a golf course in Las Vegas.
In October 2018, he was convicted for a number of offenses. These related to a botched attempt to retrieve items of memorabilia from two dealers of collectibles in a Las Vegas casino.
Simpson was also part of one of the most publicized murder cases in US history. He was eventually acquitted of the 1994 murders of his ex-wife and her friend. Later in 1997, was found liable for their deaths and ordered to pay $33.5m to the two victims’ families.
In the present lawsuit, Simpson claims he is a model parolee. If he continues exhibiting good behavior, his parole could end some time before 2022.