A Nevada judge has recently dismissed a defamation case lodged by disgraced casino tycoon Steve Wynn against The Associated Press and an AP reporter. It was in April when Mr. Wynn’s legal team filed a complaint against the news agency over a report published in February about two women’s accounts to police accusing the businessman of sexual misconduct.
Mr. Wynn’s legal representatives said in a 13-page complaint that the AP had produced a news story based on police accounts of a woman who had previously falsely accused the casino mogul of rape. The filing went on that the AP should have included additional information about those previous allegations so that readers be able to reach their own conclusions and not be influenced by the limited information in the published article.
Mr. Wynn’s legal complaint referred to Halina Kuta, who told police in February that she had been raped by the businessman back in the 1970s and had given birth to a daughter in the restroom of a gas station. Ms. Kuta also said that she had been married to Mr. Wynn and had given birth to other children. However, she told police that she could not recount all their names and birth dates. The disgraced businessman’s legal team pointed out that discrepancies contained in Ms. Kuta’s account raised questions.
Judge Throws Out Mr. Wynn’s Defamation Case
In a recent written order, Judge Ronald Israel from the Clark County District Court ruled that the Associated Press’ reporting on the two sexual misconduct police reports was fair and no additional information could have been provided about any of the two women at the time because their names were blacked out in police documents obtained by the news agency and its reporter under a public records request.
Mr. Wynn’s attorney, L. Lyn Wood told media on Friday that they will appeal the ruling in the Nevada Supreme Court.
The disgraced businessman is facing multiple sexual misconduct allegations, mostly from former and current employees of gaming and hospitality giant Wynn Resorts, which he himself founded. First news about Mr. Wynn’s alleged lengthy pattern of sexual harassment emerged in January when the Wall Street Journal published a report detailing multiple cases of the casino mogul subjecting women to unwanted advances of sexual nature.
There are ongoing probes over the allegations, which Mr. Wynn has been denying fervently. Following the publication of the WSJ report, the businessman left his posts as CEO and Chairman of Wynn Resorts and had to leave his residence at one of the company’s properties in Las Vegas.
The allegations against Mr. Wynn and the scope to which Wynn Resorts was aware or if it had any actual knowledge about the alleged sexual misconduct incidents are being investigated by the gaming regulators of the jurisdictions where the company operates or is planning to operate casinos, including Nevada, Macau, and Massachusetts.
