Lawsuit accusing casino of negligence in slots player’s death gets trial date

A trial date was set for a lawsuit filed by the family of a woman who collapsed and died while playing a slot machine at a Las Vegas Strip casino.

The Wynn Las Vegas and Encore are seen on June 17, 2014, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)

A trial date has been set in a negligence lawsuit filed by the family of a woman who collapsed and died while playing a slot machine at a Las Vegas Strip casino.

The estate of Billie Sakkab filed the lawsuit against Wynn Las Vegas LLC in December 2023 in Clark County District Court. District Judge Mary Kay Holthus set a civil jury trial to begin Sept. 8 with a pretrial conference planned for Aug. 26.

According to court documents, the trial is expected to last 15-20 days.

An obituary published in February 2022 described Sakkab as a world traveler who had been to 60 countries, had a passion for music and was an artist, designer and master cook.

Sakkab, a regular Wynn customer, was 78 when she attended a 2022 Super Bowl viewing party at the resort.

According to the lawsuit, Sakkab was playing a slot machine in the casino when she collapsed. The lawsuit alleges that Wynn employees did not access an available portable automated external defibrillator fast enough to prevent cardiac arrest. Court documents say Sakkab was unconscious and “multiple … Wynn employees on the casino floor as well as the video surveillance room, failed to reasonably assess” if she required emergency medical attention.

According to the lawsuit, Wynn employees called 911 to request emergency medical services at 5:54 p.m., the Clark County Fire Department arrived by 6 p.m. and a Medic West ambulance arrived at 6:03 p.m.

The lawsuit was filed by widowed husband Nabil Sakkab, who also is a co-special administrator of Billie Sakkab’s estate. Joining him as plaintiffs in the lawsuit are three family survivors: Clark County residents Nabil Sakkab Jr. and Tiffany Pond, who are both co-special administrators of the estate, and Los Angeles County resident Stephanie Sakkab Colvin.

The seven-count lawsuit accuses Wynn Las Vegas of negligence; negligent hiring, training, retention and supervision; negligent security; wrongful death; and gross negligence.

In a response to the lawsuit posted weeks after the initial filing, Wynn denied all negligence and wrongful death allegations brought by the family, which is seeking special damages in excess of $15,000, unspecified punitive damages, interest and attorneys’ fees.

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