Casinos sue over dead man's debts

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- Death is no excuse for not paying your gambling debts, according to a lawsuit filed Friday in District Court.

Attorneys for Caesars Palace and the Hard Rock Hotel filed the suit against the estate of a Colorado man the casinos claim owes them a total of $715,000.

The lawyers say 52-year-old Ryan Clark passed a series of bad checks at Caesars Palace in an attempt to cover $565,000 in gambling markers just a few days before he died on Sept. 6.

Clark also failed to make good on $150,000 in markers at the Hard Rock in August, the lawsuit alleges.

When Caesars and the Hard Rock found out about Clark's death in November, they lodged claims with his estate, but the estate has not paid the debts, the suit charges.

"Because Clark and subsequently the estate have failed to repay the value of this benefit, they have been unjustly enriched," the suit says.

Not only do the casinos want the $715,000, they also want to be compensated for damages and their attorneys fees.

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