Used client funds to gamble, now suing casinos

By reader acclaim: Arelia Margarita Taveras, once hailed as an up-and-coming lawyer and media commentator who represented 9/11 and air crash victims, says her gambling addiction lost her nearly $1 million; she has admitted dipping into client funds and was disbarred last June. Now she’s suing six Atlantic City casinos and one in Las Vegas […]

By reader acclaim: Arelia Margarita Taveras, once hailed as an up-and-coming lawyer and media commentator who represented 9/11 and air crash victims, says her gambling addiction lost her nearly $1 million; she has admitted dipping into client funds and was disbarred last June. Now she’s suing six Atlantic City casinos and one in Las Vegas for $20 million, saying they had a duty to stop her as it became clear her gambling was out of control. Taveras’s law practice at one point brought her $500,000 annually, and she appeared on TV and radio shows to discuss legal issues. (“Compulsive Gambler Files $20M Suit Against Casinos”, AP/CBS13.com, Mar. 8; Christina Boyle, “Scamming lawyer for 9/11 victims sues casinos for her gambling addiction”, New York Daily News, Mar. 8). More: New York Post, Associated Content.

5 Comments

  • At dinner the other night a group of us listed what we thought were some of the big changes of the youth of today versus the youth of yesterday. One of the first thing that we came up with was lack of accountability. It seems that no matter what happens, there is always an excuse and then an attempt to blame others. This case is a perfect example. This attorney violated her clients and her profession and now she is avoiding personal accountability and suing for 20 times what she states she lost. This is indeed what is wrong with our country! The legal profession has just turned into a way to make a profit.

  • The “youth of today” aren’t the idiot jurors who are eating this stuff up with a spoon. Anyone who thinks that Arelia Margarita Taveras seriously believes she isn’t to blame for the gambling is an idiot: she’s simply making what is, in today’s culture, a smart play. Will she win? Probably not, and hopefully the casinos will refuse to settle.

    But it sure as Hell isn’t “the youth of today” who have led to the possibility of this suit having any success at all.

  • It’s also not the ‘youth of today’ sitting on the bench, in the legislature, or for the most part, arguing the cases. In fact, the youth of today are the ones taking advantage of the idiotic common law and statutory changes made over the last 40 years. And the youth of today AND yesterday should be ashamed of what the law has become. As a lawyer I sure am (and at 40 don’t know if I’m the youth of today or yesterday, but I know I sure haven’t cashed in).

  • As a former stand up comedeian I used to use a bit about this very problem. Lawyers please don’t take offense. The bit is as follow in my best ANNOUNCER VOICE: “You know nobody has to take responsibility for their actions any more, why, because of lawyers. In fact one day I expect to see a commercial like this. “STOP! IF YOU HAVE BEEN ARRESTED FOR A SERIOUS
    CRIME.SUCH AS MURDER, RAPE ARSON OR CHILD ABUSE.DON’T WORRY! EVEN IF YOU DID DON’T WORRY. HI, I’M AL GETOFF WITH THE LAW FIRM OF GETOFF AND SCOTFREE. DID YOU KNOW WE HAVE A WIDE VARIETY OF DEFENSE TESTED SYNDORMES TO OFFER YOU. FOR EXAMPLE WE OFFER THE PMS,PMS AND DMS-PRE,POST AND DURING MENSTURAL SYNDORME. WE ALSO OFFER THE TRADITIONAL DESFENSE SYNDORMES SUCH AS,TWINKIES, VOICES IN MY HEAD, SATAN/GOD TOLD ME TO DO IT, AND THE RECENTLY APPROVED, JUST HAD A BAD DAY AT WORK AND THE BABY WOULDN’T STOP CRYING SYMDROME.THAT’S RIGHT! AND WITH OUR TEAM OF MEDICAL AND PSCYCOLOGICAL SPECIALISTS TO BACK YOU UP, YOU’LL SERVE LITTLE OR NO TIME AT ALL…WE GAURNATEE IT. SO THE NEXT TIME YOU COMMIT A SERIOUS OR ARE JUST THINGKING ABOUT IT,..GO AHEAD AND DO IT! BECAUSE WITH GETOFF AND SCOTFREE ON YOUR SIDE. “IT WON’T BE YOUR FAULT”. LEAGAL IN ALL 49 STATES…SORRY TENNESEE!
    (BACK TO WORK!)

  • […] then proceeded to sue the casinos, was thrown out of court by a federal judge. We covered the case Mar. 9. (AP/PhillyBurbs, Sept. […]