Las Vegas Sands once again is working to remove a Clark County judge from presiding over a wrongful termination suit against the casino.
Former Sands Macau President Steven Jacobs claims Sheldon Adelson and Las Vegas Sands fired him for refusing to engage in illegal and corrupt activities that would advance Las Vegas Sands’ business interests in Asia.
Jacobs filed his lawsuit in 2010, and Adelson and Sands have stalled proceedings since, challenging the court’s jurisdiction in the matter and now, after the Nevada Supreme Court denied its jurisdictional arguments, seeks to have presiding Judge Elizabeth Gonzalez removed from the case.
Adelson claims Gonzalez is biased against him and Las Vegas Sands, which Gonzalez firmly denies. Adelson also recently bought the Las Vegas Review Journal, which then assigned reporters to pay especially close attention to Gonzalez.
Adelson and Las Vegas Sands claimed Gonzalez interjected herself into local coverage of the case, but Clark County’s Chief District Court Judge David Barker refused to remove Gonzalez, saying arguments against her were unpersuasive.
The newest accusations from Adelson and Las Vegas Sands claims Gonzalez exhibits no neutrality, is hostile toward Adelson and Las Vegas Sands, and treats them differently in the case.
Gonzalez refutes the claim, but halted proceedings while the matter is addressed.
In the meantime, Jacobs has filed a virtually identical federal complaint in Nevada, thereby assuring he will have his day in court, one way or another.
