Atlantic City’s Ocean Casino Resort has reached a settlement with a former general counsel and senior vice president who claimed she was illegally fired for whistleblowing.
Loretta Pickus sued the casino and its owner, the Luxor Capital Group, in 2020. She claimed her employment was wrongfully terminated after she objected to casino management sending inaccurate information to the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE).
Pickus argued this was a direct violation of New Jersey’s Conscientious Employee Protection Act (CEPA). CEPA protects employees from retaliation from employers when they blow the whistle on a company activity, policy, or practice that they reasonably believe to be against the law. Forms of retaliation include termination, demotion, or being passed up for promotion.
In a statement to Casino.org in September 2020, Pickus’ attorney, Kathryn McClure, said the decision to fire Pickus had been driven by retaliation “fueled by gender discrimination.” This had caused her client economic and emotional harm, as well as damaging her professional reputation.
But the case will not go to trial. In a filing to the New Jersey Superior court Tuesday, Ocean’s attorney Elizabeth Lorell said the two parties were “currently ironing out the complete settlement terms.”
According to court documents, Pickus was fired four days after she complained about the filing of false meeting minutes of the Ocean Casino audit committee to the state gaming regulator.
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