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OPINION: Possible February trial may reveal lurid truths about Strip high roller culture

Sunday, August 23, 2026 7:56 PM
Photo: Shutterstock
  • John L. Smith, The Nevada Independent

Having a sense of humor isn’t a prerequisite for service on the federal bench.

With that submitted into evidence, I don’t know whether U.S. District Court Judge Miranda Du intended to infuse a little humor into her weighty, 62-page pretrial order in the increasingly strange civil case of the California high roller who claims he was slipped a ketamine mickey while gambling at the MGM Grand Hotel in December 2021. But it sure made me smile.

After more than four years in court, the head-butting rugby scrum of attorneys representing plaintiff Dwight Manley and defendant MGM Resorts International and its Strip namesake casino has finally found something they can agree on.