A judge ruled that a Rhode Island casino isn’t responsible for the robbery of a patron at a gas station 50 miles from the property. [Image: Shutterstock.com]

A District Court judge has ruled that a casino in Rhode Island isn’t responsible for the robbery and assault of one of its patrons, dismissing the complaint without prejudice.

In 2021, criminals followed Edward Peduto when he was returning to Massachusetts from the Bally’s Twin River Casino in Lincoln. They eventually confronted him at a gas station about 50 miles from the property before stealing an undisclosed sum of money and assaulting him, resulting in medical expenses totaling $46,212.

His legal team contended that the casino failed to protect its patrons by not sufficiently monitoring the gaming floor and not ensuring that gamblers were kept safe from potential violence stemming from their presence at the facility.

video footage didn’t show any indication of their intentions

The judge refuted all these claims, saying that the people who followed him didn’t commit any crimes at the casino and video footage didn’t show any indication of their intentions. Judge Burroughs explained that the responsibility for a person’s safety depends on whether the harm is predictable and preventable. The location of the robbery meant that it wasn’t the casino’s responsibility.

Incidents of this kind aren’t rare; many people fall victim to robberies after taking home winnings from a casino. The lawsuit pointed to at least eight similar incidents involving the same property since January 2019.