Australian billionaire James Packer and casino operator Crown Resorts have settled a longstanding civil dispute with Iskandar Chaban, a former security guard for the Crown Towers Melbourne casino who alleged that Packer verbally and physically assaulted him during an incident that took place on January 1, 2016.
Packer, Crown and Chaban’s employer at the time, MSS Security, were all named as defendants in the claim, which was originally filed back in 2020 under the Supreme Court of Victoria.
The case was settled just before it was scheduled for trial, and although the exact amount of the settlement was undisclosed, multiple Australian outlets have reported that it is in excess of US$67,500, plus legal fees.
Attorney John Karantzis from the firm Carbone Lawyers, which represented Chaban, told The Age that his client was “looking forward to getting on with his life.”
Per court filings, Chaban claimed that he didn’t recognize Packer and another Crown executive as they approached him on the day in question, which angered Packer, causing him to become “verbally abusive and threatening towards the plaintiff [Chaban].”
Packer then “ran towards the plaintiff, pushing him in the chest.” Chaban noted in his claim that he suspected Packer was intoxicated at the time of the incident.
The former guard was then taken to a secluded office in the casino where he was reportedly “abused, humiliated, intimidated and bullied” by several other Crown managers. Chaban, who was 60 years old at the time, was then taken to a local hospital and was treated for injuries to his neck and back.
Packer’s company, Consolidated Press Holdings, denied comment, as did MSS Security. A spokeswoman for Crown told The Age that the company “confirms the matter has been settled on confidential, no admission of liability terms,” but would not comment further.
Back in 2016, Crown released a statement alleging that it had attempted to alert Chaban that Packer and company were on their way towards him. Packer denied the allegations via spokesman when the claim was filed in 2020.
For decades, Packer had served as executive director of Crown as a 37 percent stakeholder, but sold his shares for over $3 billion when the company was acquired by U.S.-based Blackstone Group last year.
