EASTON (AP) - A Pennsylvania man who spent four years in prison for beating his girlfriend at the Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem is suing the casino for serving him too many free drinks before the assault.

Nicholas Mullins is still on probation for the January 2012 assault.The casino contends Mullin alone is to blame for beating Caitlin Shields of Pottsville so badly that her brain swelled and she nearly died.But Mullins is suing because he claims his life has been ruined and that he's the long-term victim because he wound up in prison and can't find a job.A 31-year-old Navy veteran, Mullins has claimed to have post-traumatic stress disorder and pleaded guilty to aggravated assault in June 2012.A Northampton County jury was picked to hear his lawsuit Monday.