The owner of one of Atlantic City’s newest casinos is being sued by the former manager of a nightclub on the property, claiming he was pushed out of a financial arrangement and unjustly terminated.
Joseph Morrissey, of Suffolk County, New York, filed a six-count civil lawsuit Dec. 6 in New York State Superior Court against Ocean Resort Casino owner Bruce Deifik.
Morrissey managed HQ2, the casino’s beach club and nightclub, from April to August.
Morrissey is seeking “an amount not less than $10 million,” according to the suit, for breach of contract, defamation/slander, unjust enrichment and detrimental release.
Deifik said he was aware of the lawsuit when contacted Monday. He said the lawsuit was frivolous and that Morrissey was not credible. Deifik deferred questions to his Manhattan-based attorney, Marc Kasowitz, who is also one of President Donald Trump’s personal lawyers. A call to Kasowitz’s office was not returned Monday.
Other defendants listed in Morrissey’s suit include the casino’s financier JP Morgan Chase, the nightclub, the casino and two associated foreign limited liability corporations.
In his suit, Morrissey claims he was enlisted to raise $10 million for the casino opening and, in return, was paid $50,000 and hired as manager of the nightclub. Morrissey’s suit claims he was to be paid an annual salary of $200,000, to receive 30 percent of HQ2 profits and a 49 percent cut of any proceeds from the sale of the club, all of which was detailed in a signed agreement.
By mid-August, Morrissey claims the club had sales totaling nearly $2.3 million, of which he was not properly compensated. According to the court documents, Morrissey was repeatedly denied an accounting of the club’s sales.
On Aug. 10, Deifik and Morrissey clashed in the employee cafeteria, according to the court documents. The following day, the two again had a verbal spat on the casino floor, the suit alleged. Morrissey claims he was informed later that day his employment was being terminated.
