In his response to the lawsuit alleging him of winning $300,000 in illegal poker, the former 'Spider-Man' star admits to playing in the Texas Hold 'Em matches, but denies they were 'controlled games'.
- July 1, 2011
AceShowbiz -
Tobey Maguire is pleading his innocence in response to a lawsuit over alleged illegal celebrity poker games. After being sued by a bankruptcy trustee for winning more than $300,000 in the Texas Hold 'Em matches in Los Angeles, the former "Spider-Man" star filed legal documents in which he denied any wrongdoing.
The court filings released on Thursday, June 30 revealed that the 36-year-old "unconditionally denies having engaged in any conduct whatsoever in violation of law and further categorically denies having knowingly or intentionally participated in any fraudulent scheme." While he admitted to being invited, he denied there was a "regular roster of players consisting of wealthy celebrities, entrepreneurs, attorneys and businessmen."
Tobey's attorney, Robert Barta, additionally stated that the "Brothers" actor didn't only win more than $300,000 in matches against convicted con man Bradley Ruderman, but also lost $168,500 to the hedge fund manager. If the actor is required to pay anything back, the amount that he is being sued for should be reduced, his attorney argued further.
Tobey is one of several celebrities getting sued by a bankruptcy trustee, which sought to recoup more than $4 million in Bradley's gambling losses, back in March. The trustee's lawsuits claim that the poker games were unlicensed and the actor and 21 other people, including actor-director Nick Cassavetes, have no right to keep their winnings.
