Rodman jury awards former craps dealer $80,000 judgment

Kim Smith

Monday, Nov. 5, 2001 | 8:51 a.m.

Former Las Vegas craps dealer James Brasich has a message for Dennis Rodman.

"Be good," Brasich said. "That's it. Just, be good."

Brasich was awarded $80,000 by a Clark County jury that decided Friday night that Rodman was guilty of battery for rubbing a pair of dice on Brasich's body in October 1997.

The 55-year-old Henderson resident couldn't give his message to Rodman directly because the former NBA star was never called to testify on his own behalf.

Although Rodman spent Friday in Las Vegas, one of his attorneys, Randall Jones, said he didn't believe Rodman's testimony was needed.

Brasich's attorney, Mike Koning, said that because Rodman's bodyguards make it difficult to serve him with a subpoena, he didn't try until Friday. By then Rodman could not be located.

According to Brasich, Rodman progressed from rubbing the dealer's bald head to touching his groin during a Sunday afternoon craps game at the Mirage. He said he felt so humiliated following the incident, he filed a lawsuit in the hopes the ballplayer would stop his antics.

Jones told jurors, however, that Brasich's only motive was money. He noted that Brasich never told Rodman to stop touching him. Had Rodman been named Dennis Smith, he argued, they wouldn't be sitting in the courtroom.

Rodman never intended to hurt anyone, Jones told the jury. To call him to the stand to say so would be pointless.

Koning told jurors everyone has a right not to be touched.

"Why do you have to tell someone 'Don't touch my private parts!' Why?" Koning said.

Koning went on to say that the fictional "Mr. Dennis Smith would not have thought to engage in that activity."

Brasich said that although he hopes Rodman refrains from inappropriate behavior in the future, he isn't sure an $80,000 judgment is enough to convince him.

"He's so used to paying fines," Brasich said.

Brasich missed out on having a much larger judgment because District Judge James Mahan ruled that the jury could not consider punitive damages. The judge said Koning failed to provide enough evidence that Rodman's actions were the result of maliciousness or an attempt to oppress.

Jones said he is sure Rodman will want to file an appeal.