Saturday, March 10, 2007

Two casinos who claim a Daly City couple wrote $43,000 in bad checks to
cover gambling debts cannot use California courts to collect, a judge ruled.
San Mateo County Superior Court Judge Quentin Kopp dismissed a lawsuit
against Manuel and Mercedita Luna on Monday, citing California's
"deep-rooted policy" against enforcing debts owed to casinos that extend
credit to gamblers. A collection agency sued the couple in 2005, claiming
the couple bounced a $15,000 check to the El Dorado Hotel Casino in Reno,
Nev., and a $28,000 check to Cache Creek Casino in Yolo County. "Enforcement
of such claims is prohibited" in California despite growing acceptance of
gambling in the state, wrote Kopp, a retired judge who continues to hear
cases under a state program.