The Nevada Supreme Court has ended a six-year defamation lawsuit involving Steve Wynn and the Associated Press, according to a recent Yahoo! News report.
Wynn sued the AP back in 2018, claiming the news outlet defamed him when it published a story with two women alleging Wynn had committed sexual misconduct.
The court rejected Wynn’s request to have his case heard by a jury and upheld a previous ruling that invoked Nevada’s “strategic lawsuits against public participation,” or anti-SLAPP law, which “blocks lawsuits filed to intimidate or silence critics.”
“The public had an interest in understanding the history of misconduct alleged to have been committed by one of the most recognized figures in Nevada,” the court said, “and the article directly relates to that interest.”
The court also noted that anti-SLAPP legislation was “designed to limit precisely the type of claim at issue here, which involves a news organization publishing an article in a good faith effort to inform their readers regarding an issue of clear public interest.”
Justice Ron Parraguirre wrote that, as a public figure, Wynn was required to submit “clear and convincing evidence to reasonably infer that the publication was made with actual malice."
Wynn had resigned from his role as CEO of Wynn Resorts following legal issues related to sexual misconduct allegations.
The company was issued a $20m fine by the Nevada Gaming Commission for “failing to investigate claims of sexual misconduct made against Wynn before he resigned.”
Massachusetts regulators fined Wynn and the company $35.5m for “failing to disclose while applying for a license for a Boston-area resort that there had been sexual misconduct allegations against Wynn.”
AP VP of Corporate Communications Lauren Easton released a statement, saying that the Associated Press is “very pleased with the Nevada Supreme Court’s decision.”
