Wynn Resorts Ltd. and its attorneys are grappling with a new lawsuit that was filed on September 1 in Clark County District Court by a female former Wynn employee who is alleging that the company has continued to foster a hostile work environment for several years after former CEO Steve Wynn reportedly forced her to act as a “sexual servant” for another VIP guest.
Brenna Schrader, a former massage therapist for Wynn Resorts, is represented by attorneys Tracy Eglet, Robert Eglet and Daniele Miller. Wynn has requested that District Court Judge Joanna Kishner dismiss the suit, arguing that Schrader’s claims were already dismissed by Nevada courts in a similar suit from 2019.
A hearing to consider the motion is scheduled for October 25.
The company’s 22-page motion to dismiss reads in part: “Plaintiff’s complaint reasserts a meritless Nevada (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations) claim that was already rejected by the U.S. District for the District of Nevada. Rather than seek to amend her complaint or appeal that dismissal, plaintiff refiled … in this court and then apparently sought out the press to garner attention for her latest filing, as if it contained new claims or recent allegations. It does not.”
Schrader’s latest suit includes new allegations from her previous complaint in 2019—the masseuse claims that Steve Wynn “trafficked” her to a high-profile guest, who then sexually assaulted her on multiple occasions from 2016 to 2018. Additionally, Schrader also accused the company of covering up other sexual assault complaints from female employees for over 30 years.
Representatives from Wynn Resorts released the following statement on the new lawsuit: “Wynn Resorts was recently made aware of a lawsuit filed by Ms. Schrader against the company and several former employees. The lawsuit largely mirrors allegations and claims Ms. Schrader made in a prior lawsuit against the company and same former employees more than three years ago, which has been largely dismissed by a federal district court. Given the current status of that prior lawsuit, and the false and outdated allegations contained in the new lawsuit, the company elected to respond immediately by seeking dismissal. Wynn Resorts will defend itself in this and any action that attempts to cast the company today with a light of the past.”
The casino magnate has been embroiled in allegations of sexual misconduct for several years now, even after he resigned and relinquished his gaming licenses in 2018. Wynn has never been charged criminally, and has maintained his innocence from the outset.
Wynn Resorts, on the other hand, has had to face numerous consequences on the mogul’s behalf, including massive fines from regulators in both Nevada and Massachusetts. Since its founder’s departure, the company has “made tremendous strides in reforming the organization through a reconstituted board of directors, refreshed executive team, new human resources policies and training and a world-class corporate governance program.”
New policies for reporting internal incidents as well as increased sexual harassment training have also been implemented.
