Former Las Vegas Hard Rock Casino Executive Settles Wrongful Death Lawsuit By Former 23-Year Old Girlfriends Family
The family of 23-year-old Michelle Hatchel, who was the girlfriend of Ed Scheetz, former chief executive of New York-based Morgans Hotel Group Co. which co-owns the Hard Rock in Las Vegas filed a $645 Million dollar lawsuit for wrongful death. Hatchel was found dead of a drug overdose in a luxury Turnberry Towers condominium on Aug. 29, 2007 and according to the lawsuit had received the cocaine and oxycodone that killed her from Scheetz. Three weeks after Hatchel died, Morgans said Scheetz resigned as Morgans president and chief executive officer for personal reasons.
According to the lawsuit Hatchel had been traumatized by the deaths of friends in the Columbine High School massacre in 1999 and Scheetz capitalized on her emotional troubles to induce her into drug use and sexual activity. Hatchel Scheetz at a Denver nightclub in 2005 and had a relationship with him and in the summer of 2007, Hatchel was flown to New York to be with Scheetz on a flight arranged by Scheetz's secretary at Morgans and then was flown to Las Vegas on Morgans' private jet. However things began to go wrong for Hatchel after arriving in Las Vegas. in text messages to friends Hatchel expressed unhappiness with the ex-girlfriend's presence and feared for her safety. This wrongful death lawsuit settlement should help the family get closure.
