Disgraced casino mogul Steve Wynn must be used to taking losses in court rooms by now. In yet another blow to the 83-year-old, the US Supreme Court has just rejected an attempt by the founder of Wynn Resorts to roll back a defamation law that protects freedom of speech for journalists.
sued the media company in 2018 over its story that claimed Wynn raped a woman
Nevada’s top court used that rule, established in a 1964 Supreme Court ruling, to dismiss Wynn’s defamation suit against the Associated Press and one of its journalists. He sued the media company in 2018 over its story that claimed Wynn raped a woman in the 1970s.
The court referred to the anti-strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPP) law, which is implemented to protect news organizations publishing information “in a good faith effort to inform readers.” The Nevada Supreme Court ruled that Wynn was unable to prove AP displayed “actual malice” in publishing the article.
This was something that the US Supreme Court ruled was necessary to prove in order to win a libel suit, given that the First Amendment protects freedom of speech. The law was first established in its New York Times v. Sullivan ruling in 1964, and the standard has been adopted by states across the country, including the home of Las Vegas.
Wynn agreed to pay $10m and exit the Nevada gaming industry in 2023 as a result of a four-year case over allegations of sexual abuse against the businessman. He also had to pay $20m in a lawsuit settlement stemming from lawsuits by Wynn Resorts shareholders and pension funds in 2019.