A blogger who reported that the Las Vegas Sahara casino would close in September has seen a suit by the casino for defamation dismissed.
District Judge Trevor Atkin dismissed a defamation by trade libel allegation in the suit, the only count in the suit still before the court.
Scott Rueben, who runs vitalvegas.com, commented on the ruling on Twitter.
“Current mood: Elated, exhausted and thankful,” the @VitalVegas tweet read. “Anti-SLAPP motion granted today—Sahara’s frivolous defamation lawsuit was dismissed. Props to superstar-at-law @MarcoRandazza and big thanks to everyone so supportive during this saga. Free speech is worth the fight.”
Sahara’s lawyers had agreed to drop all but one of five charges in a complaint filed in August.
“While we are disappointed in today’s ruling and disagree with the court’s conclusion that Mr. Roeben’s reportage of an unconfirmed rumor is an expression of opinion; what it demonstrates is that his story is not something that can be relied upon for any factual, useful, or credible information,” the casino said in a press statement. “While we fully support the First Amendment and believe in the right to free speech, we also believe it is important for those who pose in journalistic capacities to act responsibly. We continue to hold the opinion that Mr. Roeben’s conduct is not good for our team members, the industry or the community he says he serves.”
In court papers, the casino said learned the information from an employee of an unnamed business liquidation company. The lawsuit also faulted Roeben for not attempting to confirm the rumor with casino officials.
