For the tenth time this year, Atlantic City’s Harrah’s Casino is at the center of a lawsuit, this time from a woman who claims security officers brutalized her two years ago.
“It was brutal,” said Amy Walsh, a 26-year-old hospital nurse from Metuchen, New Jersey. “I really did fear for my life in that moment.”
Walsh told NBC10's Ted Greenberg she was with her friends during a Bachelorette party at the casino’s Pool After Dark nightclub in August of 2012. According to Walsh, the trouble began when a waitress and manager refused to allow seating at a table for all six members of her group, which included three women who are legally blind.
“The next thing I knew I was being dragged without my shoes through the casino cutting up my feet,” Walsh said. “Which was a problem for me as a diabetic.”
Walsh and her attorney say the officers who dragged her away were members of the Atlantic City Police Department who were hired by Harrah’s as security detail. As Walsh tried to take a picture of the officers on her cellphone, one of them grabbed her phone and forced her into a holding cell, according to the lawsuit. Walsh says the officer choked her and slammed her head into a metal-plated wall while handcuffing her.
“I don’t care what the circumstances are,” said Alexa D’Amato Barrera, Walsh’s attorney. “This is assault and assault by a man against a woman is unacceptable.”
The incident was partially captured on surveillance video. Walsh believes her constitutional rights were violated and filed a federal lawsuit, naming several defendants including Harrah’s, the city of Atlantic City and the two police officers who allegedly attacked her.
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Walsh is the tenth person who’s sued Harrah’s Casino for alleged brutality since January. Gary Thompson, the Director of Corporate Communications of Harrah’s parent company Caesars Entertainment Corporation, released the following statement:
“We take the safety and security of all of our guests and employees very seriously. Our security personnel are trained to use the least amount of force required to manage any particular incident while ensuring they take the steps necessary to protect guests, employees and themselves. These procedures are reviewed regularly.”
Walsh says watching NBC10’s previous reports on lawsuits against the casino inspired her to come forward.
“I said wow, I’m not alone,” Walsh said. “It wasn’t just me. It wasn’t an isolated incident.”
NBC10 reached out to the Atlantic City police department. A spokeswoman said they had no comment.
