Another day, another lawsuit. North Carolina resident Matthew Joyce has filed a Corrected Amended Complaint in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California, Sacramento Division, against several companies, including Apple.
In addition to the tech giant, the companies named in the lawsuit are ARB Gaming LLC (dba Modo.us), Affirm, Inc., Goldman Sachs Bank USA, Apple Inc., Amazon.com, Inc., and unnamed defendants. The lawsuit alleges a series of predatory practices, fraudulent activities, and violations of state and federal laws, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and California’s Unruh Civil Rights Act.
The complaint accuses ARB Gaming of exploiting Joyce’s documented disabilities. The lawsuit alleges that ARB Gaming targeted Joyce during nine months of documented psychosis, elevating him to the highest VIP tier, “Black Diamond,” and providing him with gifts, incentives, and promotional offers to encourage compulsive gambling.
The complaint further alleges that ARB Gaming manipulated game outcomes, misrepresented Return to Player (RTP) percentages, and delayed withdrawal processing to maximize profits.
The lawsuit also accuses Affirm, Inc. of issuing 46 high-interest loans totaling $11,799.55 to Joyce, with 44 of those loans directed to ARB Gaming’s platform for gambling purposes. Affirm allegedly approved 18 loans totaling $5,584.82 within 48 hours, enabling Joyce’s compulsive gambling behavior.
Goldman Sachs Bank USA, Apple Inc., and Amazon.com, Inc. are also named as defendants for their roles in facilitating ARB Gaming’s operations. Goldman Sachs is accused of reversing favorable dispute rulings and weaponizing Joyce’s disclosed mental health crisis by initiating a wellness check while continuing adverse actions.
Apple allegedly processed hundreds of high-velocity gambling transactions through Apple Pay without implementing any intervention, while Amazon is accused of facilitating ARB Gaming’s circumvention of its anti-gambling gift card policies and using Joyce’s disability to dismiss his legitimate complaints.
The lawsuit seeks more than $1.6 million in compensatory damages, statutory damages under California law, treble damages, punitive damages, restitution, disgorgement of ill-gotten gains, and injunctive relief to prohibit the defendants from continuing their alleged unlawful practices.
The lawsuit also alleges ADA retaliation and obstruction of access to justice, claiming that Affirm coordinated with ARB Gaming to undermine Joyce’s legal representation and create barriers to his ability to seek redress for the harm he suffered.
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