Mohegan Sun seeking to recover $900,000 from NHL team owner
Mohegan Sun is suing the owner of the National Hockey League’s Ottawa Senators over a $900,000 gambling debt.
The casino, in a suit filed in July in New London Superior Court, claims Eugene Melnyk, 60, a Canadian citizen who lives in Barbados, issued Mohegan Sun a series of drafts that a Toronto bank failed to honor.
Canadian Business magazine, which listed Melnyk 92nd on its 2018 list of Canada’s 100 wealthiest people, put his net worth at $1.2 billion. He made his fortune in the pharmaceutical industry, acquiring the NHL’s Ottawa franchise in 2003.
The suit lists an unpaid draft Melnyk issued on March 17, 2017, and four more drafts issued March 19, 2017. Four of the drafts were for $200,000 apiece and the last was for $100,000. Three of the drafts were issued from 11:07 to 11:57 p.m. March 19.
In an affidavit, an attorney for Mohegan Sun attests that he spoke with Melnyk’s corporate lawyer on Aug. 9 and believes Melnyk is aware of the suit. None of the attorneys involved in the case responded to requests for comment.
A Mohegan Sun spokesman said the casino does not discuss active litigation.
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