Trial begins in lawsuit by card counter

Rachael Levy

Friday, May 24, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.

A 24-year-old admitted card counter is suing Caesars Palace over threats he says he endured from security.

Noah Rosen, a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said he suffers from nightmares and is afraid to gamble as a result of the 1993 incident at the Strip resort.

The Pittsburgh resident's personal injury trial against Caesars began Thursday in U.S. District Court. He is seeking an unspecified amount of compensatory and punitive damages.

Rosen said he used a computer program to count cards while playing at Caesars' tables during the Fourth of July 1993 weekend. While there he said he won $60,000.

The money was shared among a pool of people, who viewed the gambling as an "investment," Rosen's attorney, Barry Lieberman said.

Caesars invited him back, and Rosen returned at the end of the month, registering under an alias.

A day into his vacation, the card counter said he returned to his suite, where he was met by about five security guards.

They allegedly asked Rosen to follow them for questioning.

When he refused, the guards allegedly handcuffed him, detained him for three hours and threatened to press charges of assault and disorderly conduct.

Caesars attorney Stephen Peek argued in court that casino security had gathered evidence that Rosen and others were counting cards, working in pairs and using hand signals. Peek said the casino questioned the gambler in an appropriate manner.

Charges were not filed against Rosen for either assault or disorderly conduct, Lieberman said. He said his client was ordered to leave the casino after being questioned without being allowed to return to his room to gather his belongings.

Lieberman said he hopes to persuade the jury to send a message to Caesars: You can tell card counters to leave, but you cannot threaten or intimidate them.

The trial is expected to last all of next week.

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