Macau court followed U.S. decisions
Sands China Ltd. has prevailed in its battle with a onetime business partner that hoped to partner with the U.S. gaming giant on a Macau casino.
Macau’s Court of Final Appeal has denied a claim by Asian American Entertainment Corp. saying it was owed MOP3 billion (US$375.7 million) because Sands China withdrew from a 2001 plan to bid for a Macau casino license. In 2002, after the agreement was terminated, the Las Vegas Sands’ China unit acquired a casino license with Galaxy Entertainment, reported the Macau Business Daily.
The decision by the Macau Court of Final Appeal concludes a case that was first filed in the District Court of Nevada in 2007. The stateside court denied AAEC’s claim for compensation, a decision that was upheld by the U.S. Court of Appeals. At that point, AAEC took its case to Macau.
The Macau court seems to have based its own conclusion on the fact that the complaint was previously “dismissed with prejudice,” albeit in two U.S. courts. The Macau court also acknowledged that though AAEC is registered in Macau, the company failed to prove that its headquarters is based in the territory.
The company controlled by Marshall Hao can no longer appeal the decision, reported the Daily.
