Former casino employee from Mon Valley sues, alleges malicious prosecution

Editor’s note: The parties in the below case reached a settlement, the details of which were not disclosed.
A former employee of a buffet restaurant at The Meadows Racetrack & Casino filed a malicious prosecution suit this week in Washington County Court against the casino and Washington Trotting Association LLC, doing business as the casino.
William J. Malie, 33, of Belle Vernon worked as a food server in the Carvery restaurant inside the casino in May 2016 when an employer relations supervisor and a director of food and beverage for the casino reported the theft of $140 to North Strabane Township police, based on video surveillance.
Malie was suspended from his job at the Carvery on May 12, 2016, and on June 9 of that year, police filed a misdemeanor theft charge against him with District Judge Jay Weller.
In his complaint, Malie alleges the employer relations supervisor told Malie’s union representative the amount of money Malie pocketed was “an undetermined amount and was never determined to be tip money or money toward the cost of buffet(s).”
On Jan. 26, 2017, Assistant District Attorney Leslie Ridge sought dismissal of the theft charge against Malie because of a written request made by Sean Sullivan, who was vice president of special projects for The Meadows.
Judge John DiSalle granted Ridge’s request Feb. 1, 2017, and placed the costs of prosecution on the county, according to court records.
Malie, however, states in his suit that he lost his job at The Meadows, had to hire and pay a lawyer, that his attempt to work additional hours was “foreclosed” because of the pending criminal charge and that Uber “deactivated” him for work with the ride-hailing service between August 2016 and March 2017.
Malie alleged the charge against him lacked a reasonable basis and probable cause, and The Meadows provided false information with “ill-will in the sense of spite.”
He is seeking a jury trial and actual and punitive damages in excess of $50,000.