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Track Owners Want Lawsuit Reconsidered9 July 2000MT. PLEASANT, MICHIGAN - July 9, 2000 - As reported by Associated Press: "Owners of a horse track want a judge to reconsider his dismissal of their lawsuit against a man linked to the embezzlement of more than half a million dollars through illegal bets set up by a former employee. "The request came after Isabella County District Judge William Rush ruled that Mount Pleasant Meadows could not collect on John Hunter's debts because former track manager Jon Lueth was working on its behalf. "Track auditors determined that $545,000 was missing from Mount Pleasant Meadows in 1997. An investigation by the state racing commissioner's office concluded that Lueth was allowing Hunter to bet on credit without covering his losses. "A jury Feb. 16 found Lueth, 38, guilty of two felonies and one misdemeanor charge of violating the state's racing code for pari-mutuel wagering. He was acquitted of a charge of making illegal wagers. "…Hunter, a former Mount Pleasant bar owner, was not criminally charged. But the track filed a civil lawsuit against him in January 1999, trying to recover money he allegedly gambled illegally-and, according to court records cited by the Morning Sun of Mount Pleasant, admitted to taking. "…In their request Monday that Rush reconsider his dismissal of the lawsuit, Mount Pleasant Meadows attorneys argued that the track itself did not knowingly allow Hunter to bet illegally. They also argued that betting with stolen money does not amount to a gambling debt..." |