A 62-year-old man who felt the sting in more than just his wallet while staying at the Venetian Las Vegas casino resort in 2023 has now filed a lawsuit against the casino hotel.
Michael Farchi of Agoura Hills, California, was asleep in a suite at the Venetian’s Palazzo hotel tower in December 2023 when he woke up to a scorpion stinging his testicles. He required urgent hospital treatment, which confirmed the source of his injuries.
Farchi claims that staff were aware of a potential scorpion problem at the hotel and didn’t take adequate measures to prevent it. He also says the venomous bug attack was subsequently not treated with due severity by the casino, and that he has suffered extensive emotional and physical damage from the incident.
The Sting
Farchi was in bed at the luxury Las Vegas casino resort on December 26, 2023, when the unfortunate encounter occurred.
“I woke up with sharp pain in my private area,” he told ABC7, speaking in an interview this week.
“Didn’t know what it was. I reached my hand to see what was happening under the covers and got another sharp pain.”
He contacted the Venetian’s staff and an ambulance was called. He was treated at Summerlin Hospital, where medical records included in the lawsuit confirmed his injuries.
“Poisoning: scorpion sting” read one document, which also highlighted the unfortunate affected area on a sketch.
Farchi says some Venetian staff did not treat the incident seriously, despite the potentially deadly nature of scorpion stings. He says while he was being assessed by first responders, one watching staff member jokingly grabbed at his own genitals.
“They were just holding their groin area and laughing about it,” he said. “It was really embarrassing.”
Farchi also says upon checking out of the Venetian on his return from hospital, he was not compensated for his experience and still paid for his room.
“The resort has protocols for all incidents and we can confirm they were followed in this incident,” has been the only comment so far from the Venetian.
The Lawsuit
Farchi this week filed the initial documentation for his lawsuit. He is claiming unspecified damages relating to various aspects of the incident. Lawyer Brian Virag of California is representing Farchi in the lawsuit.
It claims the Venetian broke its duty of care by not adequately dealing with a known bug problem, meaning it did not provide a clean, safe, and sanitary service.
It seeks compensation for Farchi for medical expenses and trauma. It also claims loss of consortium for Mr. Farchi and his wife. That’s a technical term implying that the couple’s sex life has been damaged by the incident.
“Nobody staying in Vegas needs to be exposed to deadly scorpions while they’re sleeping, let alone on their private parts, their testicles,” Virag said, speaking this week.
David is an online casino expert who specializes in online slots and boasts over 10 years experience writing about iGaming. He has written for a wide range of notable publications, including eSports Insider and WordPlay Magazine.
David graduated Derby University with a BA Degree in English Literature and Creative Writing.
