This is a three-session webinar series: Session 1 – August 20 | Session 2 – September 22 | Session 3 – September 25.
This case involves overly aggressive bouncers and their friends becoming violent with a guest in a Las Vegas nightclub. After recklessly escalating a normal conversation into a physical altercation with a non-violent guest, bouncers hand the guest off to violent friends and literally turn the other way as the guest is beaten nearly to death. The violent friends repeatedly punch Mr. Alrabadi in the head as he tries to flee until one of the blows knocks him unconscious. The bouncers' friend then stomps on Mr. Alrabadi's head 6-8 times as he lays motionless inside the doors of the Flamingo Hotel & Casino, fracturing his skull and causing hemorrhages throughout his brain.
No one from Caesars or Chayo made any effort to protect Mr. Alrabadi, nor did they call for medical services as he lay unconscious for several minutes.
Not only did Defendants claim they did nothing wrong, they brought a comparative negligence claim, blaming Mr. Alrabadi for his own injuries. After a 3-week trial, the jury returned a verdict of $56,500,000.96 with liability split 50/50 between Caesars Entertainment and Chayo Tequila Bar, with no comparative fault to Mr. Alrabadi.
Session 2: Voir Dire and Opening in a Catastrophic Las Vegas Negligent Security Case
Topics covered in Session 2:
- Trial Planning - focus groups, big data, and settlement considerations during trial
- Mini Opening
- Voir Dire
- Know what makes a juror good versus bad
- The Venire - know the rules of the game and plan accordingly
- Eliminate biased jurors based on case issues
- Protect against "sympathy," "corporations," and lock down on fair play
- Opening - winning from the beginning
- Step 1: Establish the Safety Rules
- Focus on rules that matter in your case
- Demonstrate through video or other evidence that the safety rules are not in dispute
- Step 2: The Story of the Case (violation of rules and harm caused as a result)
- Generally from the defense perspective
- Step 3: Alibis/Defenses
- Show weak points in the defense case
- Inoculate against unfair characterizations of your case
- Step 1: Establish the Safety Rules