Supreme Court denies Steve Wynn’s appeal of 2018 defamation case
Nevada media law professors stated the Justices could have used the case to weaken First Amendment protections surrounding freedom of the press.
Key Points
- The former Wynn Resorts CEO sued the Associated Press and a Las Vegas-based reporter, claiming to be defamed by a story about two women alleging that Wynn committed sexual misconduct
- Wynn would go on to sell his stock in the company and relinquish his gaming license during February 2018, following a Wall Street Journal article that detailed a “decades-long pattern” of sexual misconduct
The US Supreme Court has rejected Steve Wynn’s March 24 filing which looked to overturn a 2018 defamation case issued by the former Wynn Resorts CEO against the Associated Press and a Las Vegas-based reporter.
Supreme Court Justices declined to hear an appeal by Wynn, who could have used the case to weaken First Amendment protections surrounding freedom of the press established in 1964 by New York Times Co. vs Sullivan, according to Nevada media law professors.
In a filing from February 2025, attorneys for Wynn wrote that many states, including Nevada, have incorporated the actual malice standard into anti-SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation) statutes. Those states require public figure plaintiffs to prove the merits of their case, including actual malice, before any pre-trial discovery can take place.
Wynn sued the Associated Press and the reporter after stating he was defamed by an Associated Press story about two women who alleged he committed sexual misconduct against them.
Wynn, currently 83 years of age, would go on to sell his stock in Wynn Resorts and relinquished his gaming license during February 2018, following a Wall Street Journal article which detailed a “decades-long pattern” of sexual misconduct by the former executive.
Good to know: Wynn Resorts reported the company’s financial results for the fourth quarter of 2024 and full-year (FY) on February 13, with the company’s net income decreasing by 31.4% year-over-year to just under $501.1m for FY2024
On November 14, 2024, Landry Inc. CEO and billionaire businessman Tilman Fertitta became the largest individual shareholder in Wynn Resorts, replacing Co-Founder Elaine Wynn as the company’s largest shareholder.
Fertitta increased his ownership stake to 9.9% according to a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. After news of Fertitta’s increased shares broke, Wynn Resorts’ share price grew by 9% on the day.
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