Woman Clobbered by VIP Parking Barrier Sues Hard Rock Biloxi
A VIP casino patron required neck surgery after a parking barrier reportedly fell on her head. The Biloxi Sun Herald reports that the incident has brought Hard Rock Casino Biloxi into legal proceedings.
Plaintiff Lisa Paulk, from Pike County, Mississippi, alleges she was struck by the parking gate while trying to access the casino’s VIP lot on January 12, 2024.
The complaint, submitted this month to the Harrison County Circuit Court, claims that the scanner card for Paulk’s Encore Players Club consistently did not raise the gate.
After leaving her car for help and using another guest’s card to lift the arm, valet staff told her to walk behind her daughter’s vehicle as it entered the garage. At that exact instant, the barrier fell unexpectedly and hit her on the head, according to the complaint.
Harm, Suffering
The legal action mentions a neck injury needing surgery, back damage, and ongoing emotional suffering. Paulk states that the valet confessed the barrier arm “had been malfunctioning for some time,” but there were no warning signs or obstacles to restrict pedestrian access.
“Because the VIP gate would not open, (Paulk) was forced to exit her car and walk to the valet stand for assistance,” the complaint alleges, adding that the valet also attempted unsuccessfully to open the barrier with Paulk’s car card before borrowing one from the next vehicle.”
In court documents, the casino and its three property manager defendants reject all responsibility. They claim Paulk either caused or played a role in her injuries, which they assert arise from pre-existing conditions rather than the gate incident.
Paulk requests unspecified compensatory damages, punitive damages, and additional relief. The claim seeks compensation for previous, current, and expected medical expenses, “future pain, suffering, and emotional distress, lasting physical disability, permanent disfigurement, future travel costs, and other damages.”
When Parking Barriers Assault
The situation closely resembles a lawsuit initiated in Henderson, Nevada, where a woman alleges that a defective automated gate arm hit her in the face while she was exiting the VIP parking garage at Green Valley Ranch Resort Spa & Casino.
Elizabeth Browner claims that the casino did not provide a designated pedestrian path, leading her into a traffic lane where the gate arm suddenly came down, resulting in serious facial and eye injuries.
The lawsuit, initiated in January 2025 in the Eighth Judicial District Court of Clark County, is still active with no reported resolution or trial date.
