Burst pipe dumps sewage on woman at Live! Casino Pittsburgh, lawsuit says

GREENSBURG (KDKA) — A civil lawsuit has been filed against a Pittsburgh-area casino after a Greensburg woman claims a sewage pipe burst, covering her in fecal matter while she was inside the facility.

According to the lawsuit, Rita and Robert Romagnoli were at Live! Casino in Westmoreland County on July 28.

“While seated at a slot machine, Rita was caused to be drenched with human fecal matter due to an overhead pipe which burst,” the lawsuit says.

As a result, Rita was in the hospital for 15 days.

“As a direct and proximate result of the negligence of the defendants, plaintiff contracted bacterial pneumonia which resulted in a 15-day inpatient stay at Westmoreland Hospital,” the lawsuit says.

The Romagnoli’s attorneys, Summers, McDonnell, Hudock, Guthrie & Raunch, said the family suffered pain, suffering, inconvenience, embarrassment, mental anguish and emotional and psychological trauma.

They claim Stadium Casino, a Pennsylvania limited liability corporation that operates Live! Casino, failed to maintain and/or repair the premises to ensure guests were safe, failed to inspect and/or repair known or unknown defects in the premises and failed to prevent and/or remove a dangerous condition of the premises.

They’re asking for $30,000 in damages.

Since the lawsuit was filed, another woman told KDKA-TV a similar incident happened to her.

“I was sitting at a slot machine, and all of a sudden water came pouring down on me and another gentleman that I did not know that was sitting at the slot machine next to me. It was in my hair. It hit my face, and it was all over my clothes. I mean, I was like, literally, soaking wet,” the woman said.

The woman didn’t want to be identified or go on camera, but told KDKA-TV that the casino told her at the time it was just water.

“I was a little more concerned because I didn’t know what the water was. They assured me that they thought it was just regular water and everything,” the woman said.

Now after learning about this lawsuit, the woman wonders what was really dripping on her. She said she’s thankful she didn’t get sick.

“It’s a little suspect that the same thing happened to this lady,” the woman said. “It’s very, very scary and very concerning.”

KDKA reached out to Live! Casino, which said it cannot comment due to pending litigation.

Erika Stanish

Erika is an award-winning investigative journalist who joined KDKA in October of 2021. She is thrilled to be back in her hometown and reporting for the station she grew up watching!