A trial date has been set for Spiderman star Tobey Maguire for his involvement in a Hollywood high-stakes poker game allegedly perpetrated by a criminal Beverly Hills hedge fund manager.
Maguire is set to appear in court on January 30, 2012, following a lawsuit filed against the actor by a trustee for investors seeking the return of winnings that Maguire won while playing poker with A-listers like Leonardo DiCaprio, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, and Nick Cassavetes, as well as poker pro Dan Bilzerian.
Maguire is being sued for more than $300,000 for winnings he earned from the invitation-only Texas Hold ’em games, organized by businessman Bradley Ruderman, who’s currently serving a 10-year prison sentence for running a Ponzi scheme to pay off debts. Ruderman operated a wire fraud and investment adviser fraud scheme that lost investors $25 million, and then allegedly lost another $5.2 million in the high stakes cash games trying to win the money back.
Dan Bilzerian’s brother, Adam, told Star magazine that the games commonly took place at the home of a Hollywood producer, presumably Cassavetes, and that the buy-in is anywhere from $40,000 to $200,000. The lawsuit claims that games were held twice weekly in suites at the luxurious Beverly Hills hotel, Four Seasons and the Viper Room on Sunset Boulevard. Private dealers and armed security were hired for the games, according to reports.
Maguire, 36, won $311,200 from Ruderman at the poker table, according to the suit. Maguire admits that he won and duly received $187,000 from Ruderman, but that he also lost $168,500 to him, which should offset any liability in the case. Winnings were sent to Maguire through seven bank transfers between June 2007 and May 2008.
Since the high-roller No Limit Hold ‘em games were unlicensed, a bankruptcy trustee is going after Ruderman’s creditors to get some of his clients’ money back. None of the defendants in the civil lawsuits is facing criminal charges, but they’ll have to return at least $1.5 million of their alleged winnings or defend themselves in court.
Howard Ehrenberg, the court appointed trustee for the investors of the defunct hedge fund, is attempting to recoup money for the group. Maguire has filed a counterclaim to the lawsuit, in which he says he shouldn’t have to pay any money because the games were legal.
Maguire is among 22 people, including former High Stakes Poker host Gabe Kaplan and private equity billionaire Alec Gores, sued by Ehrenberg. One name not mentioned is that of New York Yankees third basemen Alex Rodriguez, who played in at least one of the games organized by Ruderman, Star reports.
According to documents filed in court earlier this week, both parties have until Nov. 30, 2011 to depose all possible witnesses and disclose the evidence they’re planning to bring up at trial. Evidence submitted in Maguire’s defense so far includes several checks written from accounts he maintains called “Poker Account” and “Poker Account (2.),” according to reports
The case will go before a trial judge at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Los Angeles.
