It was one of the worst kept secrets in not only the poker community but also in the realm of Hollywood. That does not mean that the court system would not get involved, however. Rather than litigate the case in the public domain and to save court costs, actor Tobey Maguire has settled a lawsuit brought against him regarding his time playing high stakes poker in Hollywood during the Aughts.
Maguire to Pay $80K, Makes the Case Go Away
The case dates to high stakes cash games that included the former Chief Executive Officer of Ruderman Capital Partners, Brad Ruderman. Ruderman was charged with running a Ponzi scheme that used the money of investors into his company. The money, which came from his relatives and other investors, was allegedly used by Ruderman to fund an outrageously luxurious Hollywood lifestyle. Some of that lifestyle included poker. In 2010, Ruderman was convicted of embezzlement and was sentenced to eight years in prison; upon his release in 2018, Ruderman said he was going to write a book about what happened, which has not, to this date, come to fruition.
Those who were bilked by Ruderman have taken the approach of suing those players in the game that Ruderman played. 23 people were sued for winning money in the poker game, with Maguire taking the route of settlement. Others that were sued in the case, which was worth $25 million, are director Nick Cassavetes, actors Leonardo DiCaprio and Ben Affleck, and poker…
