Wynn said allegations hurt his reputation, jeopardized his standing
Last Monday, a Los Angeles appellate court upheld a $19 million judgment against “Girls Gone Wild” founder Joe Francis in a slander case over his claims that casino mogul Steve Wynn had threatened to kill him and bury him in the desert.
The California 2nd District Court of Appeal found no basis to overturn the judgment or order a new trial. The justices also reaffirmed an injunction barring Francis from repeating the claims.
After a 2012 trial during which both high-profile participants testified, a jury found that Francis’ statements were groundless and defamatory.
Francis said a third party informed him that Wynn wanted to hit him in the head with a shovel and have him buried in the desert. Wynn denied making such threats and claimed the statements by Francis damaged his reputation and put his casino license at risk. A jury initially ordered Francis to pay Wynn $40 million, but a judge later cut the amount by $21 million.
Mitchell Langerg, an attorney for Wynn, hailed the ruling in a statement. “We will continue to assist Mr. Wynn and Wynn Las Vegas as they vigorously pursue Francis to collect all of his debts to them, including this $19 million judgment,” Langberg wrote.
Francis said he is confident he will prevail.
