Las Vegas Performers Sued for $5 Million Over Attack by Tiger
A maintenance worker who was attacked by a white Siberian tiger belonging to entertainers Siegfried and Roy has sued the pair for more than $5 million. Chuck Flannery claims he suffered paralysis on his right side after he was struck from behind by the tiger at Siegfried and Roy’s Las Vegas compound in October, 1985.
The suit contends the 51-year-old Flannery was walking in the courtyard area of the residence when the tiger, named “Magic,” attacked him. At the time of the accident, the Siegfried and Roy organization said the tiger had been suffering kidney dysfunction and was being given medication that may have unbalanced his temper.
The tiger was quarantined for 10 days after the incident. He was later released but eventually died from the kidney ailment.
A spokesman for Siegfried and Roy, who use a variety of animals in the “Beyond Belief” show at the Frontier Hotel on the Las Vegas Strip, declined comment on the suit.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
