Crown Casinos Sued by Same-Sex Couple Over Alleged Retaliation for Sexual Orientation

Posted on: December 26, 2023, 11:54h. 

Last updated on: December 26, 2023, 01:08h.

Erik Gibbs Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Gaming Business, Global Gaming.

A lesbian couple is suing Crown Resorts, G4S security, and Australia’s Victoria state government. That’s after they were arrested and allegedly assaulted by security guards at Crown Casino in Melbourne. The couple claim they were singled out solely because of their sexual orientation.

The entrance to the Crown Casino in Melbourne, Australia
The entrance to the Crown Casino in Melbourne, Australia. A customer is suing the casino over allegations of sexual discrimination. (Image: Crown Resorts)

The Herald Sun reports that Sharon Cosgrove and her date went to Crown Melbourne’s Lumia bar in July 2019 and ordered a glass of wine, according to their account. They then shared what Cosgrove described as a simple “light kiss,” and Crown security guards immediately responded.

Five security guards emerged from the perimeter and told Cosgrove and her unidentified date to leave. The guards claimed that the two were intoxicated, but Cosgrove insists that they were not. Instead, according to their account, they were targets of sexual discrimination.

Adding Insult to Injury

Cosgrove asserts that the security guards allowed her and her date to finish their glasses of wine. However, the entire time, they encountered harassment from the guards who surrounded them.

Subsequently, Cosgrove says she was forcefully subdued and pinned by the guards, who proceeded to restrain her with handcuffs and forcefully bring her to the lower level of the casino. They then were parading her in front of all the other patrons of Lumia.

Afterward, the guards transferred her to the custody of Victoria Police, who then took her to a holding cell. During her detention, which lasted two hours, she voiced her dissatisfaction with her treatment and even made a veiled threat about approaching the media to make the issue public.

That allegedly triggered a response from law enforcement, leading to injuries, as mentioned by Cosgrove. She suffered a leg injury that required 14 stitches, as well as other “permanent physical and psychological” injuries.

The account doesn’t provide details about what happened to Cosgrove’s date.

What’s Next

Cosgrove’s suit against Crown and the state of Victoria alleges battery, assault, false imprisonment, and wrongful arrest. Additionally, she is pursuing a lawsuit against G4S Security for false imprisonment and intentional harm suffered during her confinement.

The lawsuit seeks compensation for physical and mental damages, including the economic losses endured during Cosgrove’s absence from work while recuperating. It doesn’t specify the monetary amount of the compensation. 

According to the statement released by Cosgrove’s legal team, the case encompasses more than just Cosgrove’s encounters with discrimination and violence. Instead, it represents a larger battle for equal rights and the fundamental entitlement to be treated with dignity and respect.

No one deserves to be profiled, harassed and assaulted in public on account of their sexual orientation,” said Cosgrove’s lawyer, Oliver Robertson, of the law firm Slater and Gordon.

Crown, G4S Security, and Victoria haven’t provided any detailed comments. Crown only offered a boilerplate response, explaining that it won’t discuss ongoing litigation, adding that it is prepared to emphatically fight the allegations.