Alleged Poker Cheat Mike Postle’s Legal Team Drops Him As Client As Defendants File Anti-SLAPP Motions Against Him

Alleged poker cheat Mike Postle’s $330 million defamation lawsuit in opposition to a number of distinguished members of the poker group hit an enormous roadblock as he now not has authorized illustration for the case and is now going through two anti-SLAPP lawsuits which might nix Postle’s countersuit.

Last month, Mac VerStandig, the legal professional who represented the 88 plaintiffs within the authentic lawsuit surrounding the dishonest allegations, dropped at gentle the truth that Postle’s lawyer, Steven T. Lowe of the Beverly Hills regulation agency Lowe & Associates, filed paperwork in December to drop Postle as a consumer.

Judge Richard Okay Sueyoshi was scheduled to make a ruling on the movement Jan. 14. The following day, poker professional Todd Witteles, who’s a defendant in Postle’s defamation lawsuit, tweeted that Sueyoshi granted Lowe’s movement to be relieved as counsel.

Based on the phrasing utilized by Lowe within the movement, Witteles’ legal professional, Eric Bensomochan mentioned that the probably cause for the transfer was a scarcity of fee. He was on Witteles’ podcast shortly after VerStandig tweeted the movement and mentioned that with a lawsuit of this dimension, even a large retainer of $15,000-$20,000 could possibly be used up inside a few weeks.

This leaves Postle with out illustration for his nine-figure swimsuit in opposition to many who spoke out on the subject of whether or not Postle cheated. He was accused of dishonest in a low-stakes live-streamed poker recreation at Stones Gambling Hall within the Sacramento space. He reportedly gained upwards of $250,000 enjoying virtually completely in $1-$3 and $2-$5 no-limit maintain’em money video games over roughly an 18-month time span between 2018 and 2019.

VerStandig filed a $30 million swimsuit in opposition to Postle, the possession group of Stones Gambling Hall and Stones’ Tournament Director Justin Kuraitis, who was additionally accountable for the livestream and who many believed to be Postle’s confederate within the scheme. The fees in opposition to Postle had been finally dismissed and most plaintiffs accepted a settlement for the remaining fees in opposition to Kuraitis and Stones.

After Postle was freed from the fees, he launched a countersuit in opposition to anybody who commented on the allegations. He filed a defamation and libel lawsuit in opposition to Witteles, whistleblower and former Stones worker Veronica Brill, six-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner Daniel Negreanu, high-stakes gambler Haralabos Voulgaris, poker character Joey Ingram, in addition to ESPN, Poker News media, Upswing Poker, Run It Once, Crush Live Poker, Solve For Why and Poker Coaching, that are run by poker execs Doug Polk, Phil Galfond, Bart Hanson, Matt Berkey and Jonathan Little, respectively.

Brill And Witteles File Anti-SLAPP Suits

In the face of the libel swimsuit, Witteles and Brill each filed anti-SLAPP motions in opposition to Postle, which might be tough to struggle with out a authorized workforce behind him.

SLAPP is an acronym for strategic lawsuits in opposition to public participation. According to the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, SLAPPs have turn out to be a instrument utilized by some to intimidate and silence criticism by means of an costly and baseless authorized course of.

Anti-SLAPP legal guidelines are meant to guard folks, who’re merely exercising their proper to free speech, from these proceedings. In most conditions, the defendant of a case will transfer to dismiss it until the plaintiff can show that they may prevail within the swimsuit. Postle must present proof to indicate that he may obtain a verdict in his favor or the case could be dismissed and the plaintiff could be compelled to pay legal professional charges for the defendants.

Both Brill and Witteles are utilizing Postle’s profession as knowledgeable poker participant and his appearances on Stones’ livestream to argue that he turned a public determine, which heightens the requirements for Postle to show libel as he would wish to show that the defendants acted in malice.

“Stones Hall’s ‘broadcast team did its best to turn him into a poker celebrity. They created a series of graphics designed to hype his talents,’ including showing ‘Postle’s face superimposed over that of Jesus,’” wrote Brill’s authorized workforce within the submitting.

Brill is being represented by Las Vegas-based legal professionals Marc J. Randazza and Alex J. Shepard, whereas Wittlees is represented by Beverly Hills-based Bensomochan. Witteles’ anti-SLAPP movement might be heard by Judge David Brown in a Sacramento Superior Court on Feb. 10. Brill’s movement might be heard by Judge Richard Okay. Sueyoshi the next day.