KENNETH S. USTON, PLAINTIFF-APPELLANT,
v.
AIRPORT CASINO, INC., A CORPORATION DBA MARINA CASINO, ET AL., DEFENDANTS-APPELLEES
AI-generated. These summaries, headnotes, and key points are machine-generated and may contain errors or omissions. Always verify against the full opinion text below. Not legal advice.
The court held that the plaintiff's complaint failed to state a claim under federal civil rights laws or common law innkeeper duties because there was no state action and the relationship was not that of an innkeeper and patron.
Plaintiff alleged a casino excluded him from playing blackjack solely because he was a skilled player. He sought damages under federal civil rights la…
The full statement of facts, procedural history, and disposition for this case are member content.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligence© FLexlaw, Inc. — AI-generated enrichments are proprietary. All rights reserved.
Explore caselaw by topic → Browse Federal Civil Rights Claims cases and more on FLexlaw
PER CURIAM:
Uston’s complaint alleged that the defendants, operators of a gambling casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, excluded him from their casino and denied him the opportunity to play blackjack or “21” solely because he is a “competent blackjack player}” He contended that this action entitled him to recover damages under the federal civil rights laws and under the common law of innkeepers’ duties. The district court dismissed for failure to state a claim upon which relief may be granted. Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b)(6). We affirm.
It is clear from Uston’s complaint and brief that there is a lack of “state action” in the discriminatory conduct he alleges. It is also clear that his complaint does not involve discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin or sex. Although there are eonclusory allegations of “conspiracy,” the record is devoid of specific factual allegations to support the claim. One or more of these deficiencies precludes recovery under every civil rights statute which Uston invokes.
Though the defendants in this case may be innkeepers in the common law sense, they were not acting in that capacity in their dealings with Uston. The relationship was not one of innkeeper and patron, but rather one of casino owner and prospective gambler. The policies upon which the innkeeper’s special common law duties rested are not present in such a relationship. Flores v. Los Angeles Turf Club, Inc., 55 Cal.2d 736, 13 Cal.Rptr. 201, 361 P. 2d 921 (1961); People v. Licata, 28 N.Y.2d 113, 320 N.Y.S.2d 53, 268 N.E. 2d 787 (1971); Madden v. Queens County Jockey Club, Inc., 296 N.Y. 249, 72 N.E. 2d 697, cert. denied, 332 U.S. 761, 68 S.Ct. 63, 92 L.Ed. 346 (1947).
Uston’s argument based upon contract law is devoid of merit.
AFFIRMED.
Cases With Similar Vibessemantic neighbors from the corpus
Citator
Cited By
-
Hobson v. Wilson, 737 F.2d 1 (D.C. Cir. 1984)
-
Elliott v. Leander H. Perez, Jr., 751 F.2d 1472 (5th Cir. 1985)
-
Arnold v. Bd. OF Educ. OF Escambia Cnty., 880 F.2d 305 (11th Cir. 1989)
Previewing 3 of 5 citing cases — full citator treatment, depth of discussion, and citing context are member features.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceAuthorities Cited
- Madden v. Queens Cnty. Jockey Club, Inc., 332 U.S. 761 (U.S. 1947)