Croft v. Grand Casino Tunica, Inc.

910 So. 2d 66, 2005 WL 43770
CourtCourt of Appeals of Mississippi
DecidedJanuary 11, 2005
Docket2003-CA-00638-COA
StatusPublished
Cited by26 cases

This text of 910 So. 2d 66 (Croft v. Grand Casino Tunica, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Mississippi primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Croft v. Grand Casino Tunica, Inc., 910 So. 2d 66, 2005 WL 43770 (Mich. Ct. App. 2005).

Opinion

910 So.2d 66 (2005)

Melvin CROFT Appellant,
v.
GRAND CASINO TUNICA, INC., Christopher Smith and John Does 1-5, Appellees.

No. 2003-CA-00638-COA.

Court of Appeals of Mississippi.

January 11, 2005.

*69 W. Ellis Pittman, Clarksdale, attorney for appellant.

Macey Lynd Edmondson, John H. Dunbar, Walter Alan Davis, Oxford, attorneys for appellee.

Before KING, C.J., CHANDLER and ISHEE, JJ.

KING, C.J., for the Court.

¶ 1. Melvin Croft, a former employee of Grand Casino Tunica, Inc., appeals from the granting of summary judgment by the Circuit Court of Tunica County. He was discharged from employment and arrested after criminal charges were brought against him by the Casino over the taking of a $100 token. After the charges were dismissed, Croft filed suit against the Grand Casino Tunica, Inc., its security investigator, Christopher Smith and John Does 1-5 claiming malicious prosecution, false arrest, abuse of process, civil conspiracy, menace, assault and battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress. The circuit court granted the defendants' motion for summary judgment, Croft perfected this appeal raising the following issues:

I. WHETHER THE TUNICA COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT COMMITTED REVERSIBLE ERROR IN DISMISSING PLAINTIFF'S CLAIMS OF FALSE ARREST, ABUSE OF PROCESS, AND MALICIOUS PROSECUTION ON SUMMARY JUDGMENT WHEN THERE WERE SEVERAL GENUINE DISPUTED ISSUES OF MATERIAL FACT, SUFFICIENT TO GO TO THE JURY FOR DETERMINATION AS TO WHETHER DEFENDANTS LACKED PROBABLE CAUSE TO WHICH A REASONABLE PERSON *70 WOULD HAVE SUSPECTED THAT MELVIN HAD ENGAGED IN CRIMINAL ACTIVITY
II. WHETHER THE TUNICA COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT COMMITTED REVERSIBLE ERROR IN DISMISSING PLAINTIFF'S CLAIMS OF MALICIOUS PROSECUTION ON SUMMARY JUDGMENT GROUNDS WHEN THERE WERE SEVERAL GENUINE DISPUTED ISSUES OF MATERIAL FACT, SUFFICIENT TO GO TO THE JURY FOR DETERMINATION, AS TO WHETHER DEFENDANTS ACTED WITH MALICE IN BRINGING CRIMINAL CHARGES AGAINST MELVIN FOR PETIT LARCENY WHEN MELVIN HAD NOT COMMITTED ANY CRIMINAL ACTIVITY AND REFUSED TO ADMIT TO ANY CRIMINALITY
III. WHETHER THE TUNICA COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT COMMITTED REVERSIBLE ERROR IN DISMISSING PLAINTIFF'S CLAIMS OF INTENTIONAL INFLICTION OF EMOTIONAL DISTRESS AND MENACE ON SUMMARY JUDGMENT GROUNDS WHEN THERE WERE SEVERAL GENUINE DISPUTES ON MATERIAL ISSUES OF FACT AS TO WHETHER DEFENDANT'S CONDUCT OF HAVING MELVIN FALSELY ARRESTED ON CHARGES OF PETIT LARCENY WHEN DEFENDANTS ALL ALONG LACKED PROBABLE CAUSE TO SUSPECT MELVIN OF ENGAGING IN ANY CRIMINALITY WAS CONDUCT SO OUTRAGEOUS, INTENTIONAL AND MALICIOUS AS TO MEET THE REQUISITE SHOWING UNDER THOSE TORTS
IV. WHETHER THE TUNICA COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT COMMITTED REVERSIBLE ERROR IN DISMISSING PLAINTIFF'S CLAIMS OF ASSAULT AND BATTERY ON SUMMARY JUDGMENT GROUNDS WHEN THERE WERE SEVERAL GENUINE DISPUTED ISSUES OF MATERIAL FACT AS TO WHETHER DEFENDANTS' CONDUCT AND THREATS OF AN ARREST OF MELVIN FOR PETIT LARCENY WAS CONDUCT THAT REASONABLY PLACED MELVIN IN IMMINENT APPREHENSION OF AN OFFENSIVE CONTACT
V. WHETHER THE TUNICA COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT COMMITTED REVERSIBLE ERROR IN DISMISSING PLAINTIFF'S CLAIMS OF CIVIL CONSPIRACY ON SUMMARY JUDGMENT GROUNDS WHEN THERE WERE SEVERAL GENUINE DISPUTED ISSUES OF MATERIAL FACT, SUFFICIENT TO GO TO THE JURY, THAT DEFENDANTS ENGAGED IN A PURPOSE OF HAVING MELVIN UNLAWFULLY ARRESTED FOR PETIT LARCENY WHEN DEFENDANTS, ALL ALONG KNEW THAT THEY LACKED PROBABLE CAUSE TO INSTITUTE THOSE CRIMINAL CHARGES AGAINST MELVIN.
VI. IF THIS COURT DETERMINES THAT DEFENDANTS WERE NOT ENTITLED TO ENTRY OF JUDGMENT AS A MATTER OF LAW, WHETHER MELVIN'S CLAIMS OF FALSE ARREST, MALICIOUS PROSECUTION, AND ABUSE OF PROCESS ARE SUBJECTED TO THE EXCLUSIVITY OF THE COMPENSATION ACT

¶ 2. Finding no error, we affirm.

STATEMENT OF THE FACTS

¶ 3. Croft worked for Grand Casino Tunica, Inc. for seven months as a member of *71 a hard count team. It was his duty as a member of the hard count team to service the slot machines by removing the coin buckets from the machines, replacing them with empty bins and placing the bins on a cart and taking the coin buckets to the hard count room for counting. Then the same process would be used to collect paper money from another part of the machine. Coins that are placed into a slot machine by patrons fall through the machine into the bucket while paper money goes into a bill validator located on the machine's door. He worked usually with a team of eight and there were four security guards with the team to clear patrons away from the machines as they were counted and to observe the counting team members. The team members dress in jumpsuits without pockets in order to prevent theft by team members during a count.

¶ 4. On April 12, 2001 Croft reported for his shift at 4 a.m. and was given his assignment as part of the team and performed one count. On the second count at about 5 a.m. Croft's team was performing a bill validator drop count. A fellow team member, James McKinley, opened the slot machine door on a $100 slot machine and a $100 token fell into the tray. McKinley continued opening slot machines. When Croft came by to scan the machine, he saw the $100 token in the machine's tray. Instead of collecting the $100 token for the count or alerting the security guard who was standing nearby, Croft did nothing to advise Casino personnel about the token. Croft contends that he thought the coin belonged to no one. He then walked over to a patron and told him that there was a coin in one of the machines. The patron retrieved the $100 token and cashed it in. After Croft finished the hard count, he sought out the patron to make sure he had understood that the $100 token was in the bin of a machine. The patron thanked Croft for the information and shook Croft's hand. In the handshake the patron passed a $20 bill to Croft. Croft then gave the $20 bill to co-worker McKinley.

¶ 5. At the time this incident was occurring, Casino security surveillance team members became suspicious. Senior Internal Auditor Jana Daniels, who was on the Casino floor observing the hard count, saw Croft approach a patron and whisper something to him. She observed the patron walk to the hundred dollar slot machine and look in the tray and return to Croft and talk to him again and then return to the area of $100 slot machines and take a token from the tray and put it in his pocket. At that point Daniels called surveillance who reviewed the tape and confirmed the specifics of Croft's appropriation of the $100 token.

¶ 6. About two hours after the incident Croft was told by his supervisor that he and co-worker McKinley needed to go with security and they were escorted by two security guards to the office of Casino security investigator Chris Smith. McKinley told the investigators that when the door of the machine was opened the $100 token fell out and he told Croft about the coin. McKinley said Croft told him he was going to get it and McKinley advised him that he couldn't have the coin on him. McKinley said Croft then asked him if he could get a guest to get the token, cash it in and give him the money. McKinley gave investigator Smith a $20 bill which was folded up in a square shape which he said was given to him by Croft.

¶ 7. Croft was questioned by Smith and remained in his office for about 30 minutes. He said that during that the entire investigation while he was at the Casino he was never touched by Smith or the security guards. Croft gave a statement of his *72

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Billy Magyar v. Emily Shiers and James Shiers, Jr.
Court of Appeals of Mississippi, 2025
Dacarvos Goode v. Walmart, Inc. and Willie Sims
Court of Appeals of Mississippi, 2023
Mark D. Herbert v. Nina L. Herbert
Court of Appeals of Mississippi, 2023
Barnett v. City of Laurel
S.D. Mississippi, 2019
Lee v. MGM Resorts Mississippi, Inc.
200 So. 3d 1129 (Court of Appeals of Mississippi, 2016)
Cardenas v. Maslon
93 F. Supp. 3d 557 (N.D. Mississippi, 2015)
Springfield v. Members 1st Community Federal Credit Union
106 So. 3d 826 (Court of Appeals of Mississippi, 2012)
Lochridge v. Pioneer Health Services of Monroe County, Inc.
86 So. 3d 942 (Court of Appeals of Mississippi, 2012)
Perkins v. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
46 So. 3d 839 (Court of Appeals of Mississippi, 2010)
McNulty v. J C Penney Company
305 F. App'x 212 (Fifth Circuit, 2008)
Brown v. DELTA REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER
997 So. 2d 195 (Mississippi Supreme Court, 2008)
Pigg v. Express Hotel Partners, LLC
991 So. 2d 1197 (Mississippi Supreme Court, 2008)
Mayweather v. Isle of Capri Casino, Inc.
996 So. 2d 136 (Court of Appeals of Mississippi, 2008)
Robinson v. Hill City Oil Co., Inc.
2 So. 3d 661 (Court of Appeals of Mississippi, 2008)
Smith Ex Rel. Smith v. Clement
983 So. 2d 285 (Mississippi Supreme Court, 2008)
Hudson v. Palmer
977 So. 2d 369 (Court of Appeals of Mississippi, 2007)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
910 So. 2d 66, 2005 WL 43770, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/croft-v-grand-casino-tunica-inc-missctapp-2005.