Harrah's California General Manager, who stepped down during the COVID-19 pandemic, takes his own life.
A previous high-ranking executive at Harrah's Southern California, who claimed he was pressured to step down during the COVID-19 crisis for not reopening the casino resort as swiftly as his superiors desired, has passed away at the age of 52. His death certificate indicates suicide as the cause.
Darrell Pilant ended his life on June 14, 2024, while vacationing at Georgetown Lake in Montana. Pilant's suicide occurred approximately four years after Caesars Entertainment reportedly terminated him from his roles at Harrah's Southern California after more than two decades with the casino and hospitality company.
According to his obituary, Pilant was a devoted fan of the Kansas City Chiefs and Kansas Jayhawks. He was also a part of Jimmy Buffett's fanbase, known as "Parrot Heads."
Pilant graduated from the United States Merchant Marine Academy in 1993 with a Bachelor of Science in Marine Transportation. Following his service in the U.S. Naval Reserve as a lieutenant commander, Pilant joined Harrah's Casino and Hotel in Kansas City. He never looked back, as he found the casino hospitality industry highly enjoyable.
Throughout the years, Pilant ascended the corporate ladder with Caesars to ultimately become vice president and assistant general manager at Harrah's Kansas City. In September 2016, he was promoted to head Harrah's Southern California, one of the most lucrative tribal casino destinations in the U.S.
Harrah's Southern California is an hour's drive northeast of San Diego.
COVID-19 Dispute
Harrah's Southern California is owned by the Rincon Band of Luiseno Indians. The integrated resort features over 1,000 hotel rooms and an 86,000-square-foot casino floor housing 1,500 slot machines and 50 live dealer table games.
The resort offers amenities such as an outdoor pool with a swim-up bar and lazy river, a full-service spa and fitness center, and 17 restaurants, bars, coffee shops, and grab-and-go options, including Gordon Ramsay's Hell's Kitchen. Harrah's Southern California also has a 23,000-square-foot events center with a seating capacity for 2,300 guests, along with nearly 74,500 square feet of meeting and convention facilities.
Being tribally owned on the Rincon Tribe's sovereign land, Harrah's Southern California was not bound to comply with state COVID-19 orders. Pilant lodged a wrongful termination lawsuit against his employers later in 2020, stating that he and Caesars Entertainment management disagreed on the appropriate time to reopen the resort after the pandemic's peak in the spring of 2020.
Pilant, among other things, alleged that Caesars constructively terminated his employment because he opposed and refused to execute Caesars' directive to reopen Harrah's Southern California.
After temporarily shutting down operations in mid-March 2020, Caesars and the tribe sought to reopen the facility in a limited capacity on May 22. The case, according to California's U.S. Southern District docket, shows the lawsuit is still active.
Reopening Disagreement
On May 19, just three days before Harrah's Southern California reopened, California had seen its deadliest coronavirus day with 132 deaths. Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) subsequently reached out to the Rincon Tribe and other tribal casinos preparing their reopening plans to reconsider.
Pilant opted not to align with his employer and said he was forced to resign. In his obituary, his family, including his wife, Jenna, stated that he struggled to move on from the pandemic.
"When 2020 came, it was a tough time for everyone, but for Darrell, it was especially demanding," his obituary read. "He lost his motivation and his long-time casino career due to COVID politics."
"His wife Jenna and friends tried their best to help him during this time, but ultimately, his mental health took its toll, not only on his career and marriage but his life," the obituary concluded.
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