Clonie Gowen has been denied for the third and final time, effectively ending her bid to capture a 1% stake in Full Tilt Poker and its partner companies.
U.S. District Court Judge Robert C. Jones ruled last week that, no matter what may have taken place at the now-infamous Golden Nugget meeting between Gowen and the members of the Full Tilt brass, the company owes no additional compensation to the plaintiff.
The decision comes largely due to sloppy litigation on the part of Gowen’s legal team. Her third and final attempt at satisfaction was filed in December of 2009. The document was 39 pages long, which is nine pages over the legal limit. It also came in late, according to court documents. Gowen’s reply to the complaint issued by Tiltware’s attorneys was late, as well.
Other factors in the judge’s decision included the lack of any written documentation which would prove the plaintiff’s accusations against Full Tilt. The contract, Gowen claims, was given on a verbal basis. Judge Jones points out in his verdict, however, that any general partnership offer would have required that Gowen also be responsible for 1% of Full Tilt’s losses before the company became profitable. And because no partnerships claims were filed with the Nevada Secretary of State (as per state law), he sees that “it is not plausible that a partnership, limited or general, was offered.”
A little history: Upon being released from her contract in late 2008, Clonie Gowen filed suit against nearly everyone affiliated with her former employer. Players such as Erick Lindgren, Jennifer Harman, and Phil Ivey made the list, along with Full Tilt founders Howard Lederer and Chris Ferguson. Her complaint also included the company itself, along with Tiltware Llc and Pocket Kings TLD. Gowen claimed that she was promised a 1% stake in the company in exchange for her work as a Full Tilt representative.
According to several estimates, such a deal would have netted her somewhere in the neighborhood of $40 million.
After failing in her first two attempts, Gowen was given a third and final chance to amend her argument. Full Tilt then managed to complicate matters by bringing a suit of their own against Gowen.
Those hoping to catch a glimpse at the inner workings of the world’s second largest poker magnate will be disappointed. The judge’s verdict ensures that, at least for now, the gremlins of Full Tilt’s finances may labor on in darkness. Had Gowen been successful, the company would have been forced to open its books to the US court system.
With the Judge’s final verdict now on file, the poker community can turn the page on what has been one of its uglier litigation cases in recent memory.