LOS ANGELES (Legal Newsline) — The owners and trainers of the thoroughbred race horse Medina Spirit are facing a class action lawsuit from Kentucky Derby bettors alleging RICO Act violations for horse doping.
Michael E. Beychok, Justin Wunderler, Michael Meegan and Keith Mauer, individually and on behalf of all others similarly situated, filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California against Robert A. Baffert, Bob Baffert Racing Stables Inc., and Zedan Racing Stables Inc., alleging violation of the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act and the California Control of Profits of Organized Crime Act.
The plaintiffs allege that the defendant owners and trainers of thoroughbred horses - including Medina Spirit, who won $1,860,000 in the May 1 Kentucky Derby - engaged in illegal betting and horse doping. The plaintiffs, who bet on the other horses that came in behind Medina Spirit, claim they lost potential payoffs in the "pari-mutuel betting," including one plaintiff who lost a potential of between $10,000 and $100,000, due to the "illegal drug-induced win by Medina Spirit."
They further claim that they and other bettors relied on the horse race participants to comply with Churchill Downs racetrack rules and regulations and that "assuming Medina Spirit is eventually disqualified," bettors will not receive the payoffs due to prize money being redistributed.
The plaintiffs seek monetary relief of more than $5 million, interest, trial by jury and all other just relief. They are represented by James Noblin and Emrah Sumer of Green & Noblin PC in Larkspur, William Federman of Federman & Sherwood in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and Danel Markoff of The Atkins Markoff Adler Law Firm in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
U.S. District Court for the Central District of California case number 2:21-CV-04045