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Chuck E. Cheese's "gambling" suit dropped-2011Chuck E. Cheese's "gambling" suit dropped-2011

Ron Ruggless, Senior Editor

May 20, 2011

1 Min Read
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Ron Ruggless

A San Diego mother of two has withdrawn her lawsuit against the Chuck E. Cheese’s chain that had claimed the outlets’ arcade games were “casino-style gambling devices.”

Denise Keller earlier this week filed a dismissal “without prejudice” of her civil suit, which had sought damages and restitution.

Brenda Holloway, a spokeswoman for Irving, Texas-based CEC Entertainment Inc., said in an emailed statement Friday: “Chuck E. Cheese’s has found out through a court filing that Ms. Keller voluntarily dismissed her legal action against us yesterday.

“We steadfastly believe that her claims had no merit and we were willing to vigorously defend ourselves against those claims,” Holloway continued. “We are proud to be a family friendly environment and the place where a kid can be a kid.”

Lawsuits against restaurants have been in the news widely this year. In April, a woman in Alabama dropped a widely publicized lawsuit against Taco Bell that questioned ingredients in the chain’s beef.

Related: Taco Bell beef lawsuit dropped

In the Chuck E. Cheese’s case, Keller had claimed the games in units, where children deposit tokens to win tickets that are redeemed for prizes, were actually gambling devices prohibited under California law.

Her suit also alleged the games promoted “addictive behavior in children.”

Keller’s lawyer had sought to force CEC to remove all “games of chance” from its California stores and to pay back the money customers put into those machines.

As of January, CEC Entertainment had 507 corporate stores and 47 franchised units in 48 states and seven other nations and territories.

About the Author

Ron Ruggless

Senior Editor, Nation’s Restaurant News / Restaurant Hospitality

Ron Ruggless serves as a senior editor for Informa Connect’s Nation’s Restaurant News (NRN.com) and Restaurant Hospitality (Restaurant-Hospitality.com) online and print platforms. He joined NRN in 1992 after working 10 years in various roles at the Dallas Times Herald newspaper, including restaurant critic, assistant business editor, food editor and lifestyle editor. He also edited several printings of the Zagat Dining Guide for Dallas-Fort Worth, and his articles and photographs have appeared in Food & Wine, Food Network and Self magazines. 

Ron Ruggless’ areas of expertise include foodservice mergers, acquisitions, operations, supply chain, research and development and marketing. 

Ron Ruggless is a frequent moderator and panelist at industry events ranging from the Multi-Unit Foodservice Operators (MUFSO) conference to RestaurantSpaces, the Council of Hospitality and Restaurant Trainers, the National Restaurant Association’s Marketing Executives Group, local restaurant associations and the Horeca Professional Expo in Madrid, Spain.

Ron Ruggless’ experience:

Regional and Senior Editor, Informa Connect’s Nation’s Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality (1992 to present)

Features Editor – Dallas Times Herald (1989-1991)

Restaurant Critic and Food Editor – Dallas Times Herald (1987-1988)

Editing Roles – Dallas Times Herald (1982-1987)

Editing Roles – Charlotte (N.C.) Observer (1980-1982)

Editing Roles – Omaha (Neb.) World-Herald (1978-1980)

Email: [email protected]

Social media:

Twitter@RonRuggless

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ronruggless

Instagram: @RonRuggless

TikTok: @RonRuggless

 

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