Jury Awards Wynn $20M in Slander Suit Against Joe Francis

LOS ANGELES—Steve Wynn's lawyers thought a judgment of $12 million would send a tough enough message regarding the public allegations made by Girls Gone Wild founder Joe Francis that Wynn had threatened to have him murdered. But a Los Angeles jury disagreed, and instead today awarded the casino mogul $20 million following three days of testimony in the slander lawsuit filed in 2010. The trial included in-person testimony from Grammy-winning producer Quincy Jones—a neighbor and acquaintance of Francis and close friend of Wynn—who denied claims made by Francis that Wynn had sent him an email in which he stated that he wanted Francis dead. The Los Angeles Times reported, "Wynn called the accusation a 'terrible lie' that could potentially hurt his reputation and that of his eponymous company." In the end, and in spite of the claim by the defense that Wynn had suffered no harm as a result of the allegations, the jury decided that an award of $20 million was appropriate. The years long tussle between Wynn and Francis dates back to 2007, when Wynn extended a $2.5 million gambling marker to Francis. Wynn sued in 2008 to get the money repaid and won, but reportedly received only a portion of the money owed. Francis was subsequently indicted in 2011 by a Las Vegas Grand Jury "on two counts of theft and passing a bad check, for refusing to pay back a 2007 $2.5 million gambling debt he owes casino mogul Steve Wynn..." Neither Wynn nor Francis were reportedly in the courtroom when the verdict was delivered this morning. No word yet on whether Francis will appeal.