UPDATE: MGM Fails to Settle With Rodman’s Ex-Agent Over Vegas VIP Ketamine Claim

• Parties fail to settle alleged drink spiking in VIP casino
• Agent claims ketamine exposure led to $2 million gambling loss
• Judge allowed case to proceed before confidential settlement reached

A case involving a high-stakes sports agent who claims he was drugged with ketamine while gambling at an exclusive MGM Grand VIP mansion will go to trial after the parties failed to settle at a confidential hearing on Monday, The Nevada Current reports.

Dwight Manley, 60, who managed NBA legend Dennis Rodman in the 1990s, claimed in a lawsuit that VIP staff raised his line of credit to $3.5 million after he became disoriented, allegedly from the effects of the drug, which led to him dropping $2 million in casino markers playing blackjack.

Manley later hired a private investigator to find out who had allegedly drugged him and splashed out on a billboard campaign in Las Vegas offering a $1 million reward to anyone who could provide information.

Behind Closed Doors

Monday’s settlement hearing  in the US District Court in Nevada came after Judge Miranda Du denied MGM’s attempt in March to have the case thrown out.

In determining the case should go to trial, Du said the plaintiff had “offered evidence to create a genuine issue of fact that the cocktail he was served by defendant’s employee was poisoned such that he was incapacitated at the time he entered into the credit instrument at issue.”

Exclusive Mansion

Manley, a longtime VIP guest of MGM Resorts, had been invited to stay at the ultra-exclusive MGM Mansion – an Italianate-style retreat packed with works by Picasso and Matisse. For the trip, VIP services even arranged a private jet for him and his friends.

At one point, he broke a glass ashtray and cut his hand, bleeding onto the gaming table. Staff moved him to a different table but, aside from providing Band-Aids, did not offer further medical attention, the complaint alleged.

They did, however, increase his line of credit – something he argues he was in no condition to approve.

Doctor Confirms

Around 5:15 p.m., Manley’s friends escorted him back to his villa, where he passed out. The following day, he said he suspected he had been drugged. A doctor later concluded, “to a reasonable degree of medical probability,” that Manley had been poisoned with ketamine.

Manley filed his lawsuit on November 10, 2022, accusing MGM of negligence, unfair or deceptive trade practices, unjust enrichment and breach of implied covenant. It sought unspecified damages in excess of $75K.

Neither party has responded to requests for comment.

A previous version of this article indicated, incorrectly, that an undisclosed settlement had been reached.