Former Atlantic City Casino Owner Files $20M Lawsuit Against Miss America CEO

Posted on: April 30, 2024, 03:10h. 

Last updated on: May 1, 2024, 10:01h.

Devin O'Connor @CasinoorgDevinO Read More

Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Commercial Gaming, Legislation, Politics.

Glenn Straub, the former owner of the Atlantic City property that is today known as Ocean Casino Resort, has filed a $20 million lawsuit against the CEO of the Miss America Organization, an entity he claims to fully own.

Straub alleges in a court filing made in Florida that he acquired the Miss America Organization in 2022. He asserts that he fired Robin Fleming as chief executive officer earlier this month after an internal audit discovered that she stole at least $200K from the company.

I had hoped to handle the termination in a private manner to protect the integrity of our organization but she has chosen to publicize this action in an attempt to drag out her relationship with the organization and to promote side businesses’ that she created,” Straub said in a statement. “An extensive audit revealed misuse of funds, unauthorized payments to herself which were disguised as payments to staff, and multiple further breaches of fiduciary duties.”

In the lawsuit filed in Florida’s 15th Judicial Court in Palm Beach County, Straub seeks $20 million in damages on claims that Fleming continues to hold the organization hostage by refusing access to banking accounts and credit card information after changing passwords.

BreakingAC.com was the first media outlet to report on Straub’s lawsuit against Fleming.

Miss America Ownership?

Fleming says she is the rightful owner of the Miss America Organization, not Straub. She says Straub simply provided a loan to the organization that has mostly been repaid.

“As Miss America’s sole and rightful owner, I refuse to be bullied by Mr. Straub. His only involvement was to direct me to a corporate entity that provided a line of credit, most of which has been repaid,” Fleming wrote in a statement posted to her Instagram account.

Mr. Straub’s demeaning threats are well documented, and his attempt to defraud the organization, whose sole purpose is to empower women to lead in every aspect of life, is just another blatant effort by a litigious individual who is awaiting a felony trial and who has a history of civil and criminal matters involving harassment and fraudulent documents,” Fleming added.

Straub has been accused of filing false liens against renters in his real estate holdings in Florida. The businessman and former owner of the Palm Beach Polo Golf & Country Club in Wellington, Fla., has been labeled a litigious bulldog, especially with women he previously dated, including against one woman 38 years his younger. ?

Atlantic City Casino Ownership

Straub acquired the shuttered Revel Boardwalk resort in Atlantic City in April 2015 for $82 million. He floated numerous ideas to return life to the $2.4 billion integrated resort that closed in September 2014 a little more than two years after it opened.

Straub eventually made a profit on his Revel ownership despite never welcoming a single guest, as it remained closed throughout his nearly three-year control. Straub sold the property to a Colorado developer in January 2018 for $200 million.