Steve Wynn filed a libel on Thursday lawsuit against "unknown defendants" for leaking the subpoenas involved with the City of Boston's ongoing lawsuit against the Massachusetts Gaming Commission. Boston's suit stems from the MGC's handling of the license process which ended with Wynn Resorts being given a license for Everett, Massachusetts.
The newest lawsuit was filed in Suffolk Superior Court. According to the filing, the leaked subpoenas were not leaked in order to collect information on the case, but instead to defame Steve Wynn and damage Wynn Resorts's reputation. The filing also cited an attempt to destroy the reputation of Matthew Maddow, president of Wynn Resorts. Wynn's lawyers claim that the documents were given to the media before they were even served to the people named in them, which indicates people close to the process.
Steve Wynn Press Release
Wynn released a statement on the reason behind the lawsuit. The statement read, "Someone knowingly disseminated sham subpoenas containing falsehoods--outright lies--designed to interfere with our license granted by the Gaming Commission and defame our reputation. We intend to identify the malicious individuals who did this and call them to account."
The statement also suggested that Steve Wynn was beginning to lose patience with the waves of criticism of and resistance to his gaming license for Everett. Though the press release was careful to avoid any political damage from his company's supporters in the state, it did make the point that Wynn Resorts can fight with lawsuits, too. The press release continued, "Although our commitment to Massachusetts is absolute and irrevocable, our tolerance for mean-spirited, libelous statements has exceeded any reasonable limit."
Corrections Made to Public Charges
Lawyers for the Las Vegas casino company made several corrections to information leaked into the Massachusetts press. The lawsuit denies that the company hired two former police officers, which means no such figures were informed about a convicted felon involved in the Everett land deal. Such allegations had been made in the leaks, which Wynn referred to as "false information".
The filing also denies that Steve Wynn ever attended a 2013 meeting in which the interests of the convicted felon were considered. The lawsuit also complained about mistreatment by officials from the City of Boston, who have shown bad humor since it was announced late last year that Wynn Resorts had won a gaming license over a combined bid by Suffolk Down and Mohegan Sun, which would have placed a casino in Revere.
Boston's Marty Walsh
It has been reported that Boston Mayor Marty Walsh believes the process to award Steve Wynn a casino license was corrupt. Wynn's lawyers described his company's treatment by Boston officials as "defamatory political abuse", because they have intimated that Wynn won because of a corrupt selection process. The current lawsuit by Boston against the Massachusetts Gaming Council alleges that the Stephen Crosby, the chairman of the Gaming Council, had favored Wynn throughout the process.
Boston's case is not the first time such a charge has been made. In 2013, Caesars Entertainment filed a lawsuit, making similar charges. The crux of the matter involved Stephen Crosby's relationship to a developerwho was part of the Everett land deal (a different person than the convicted felon). Boston has charged that it took Crosby an entire year to reveal his relationship to the man, who bailed out Crosby's publishing firm back in the 1980s.
The Case of Stephen Crosby
Eventually, Stephen Crosby recused himself from the Boston-area casino license process. Or that's the way it seemed, because Boston-area newspapers have reported that Crosby continued to attend meetings after he was recused from the deliberations.
Boston's mayors office denied any wrongdoing in the case of the subpoenas. Earlier this week, a spokesman for Marty Walsh's office denied anyone at City Hall leaked the subpoenas.
MGM Resorts Lawsuit Amended
Massachusetts may learn a thing or two about lawsuits from the Las Vegas casino companies operating in their state. MGM Resorts also has filed a lawsuit, in this case against Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods Casino, the two large Native American casinos in Connecticut. MGM Resorts says the state of Connecticut was discriminatory in letting Mohegan and Mashantucket Pequot Indians build one or more satellite casinos along the border with Massachusetts, while denying a request to build by MGM Resorts. After a motion was filed by Connecticut last month refuting claims that MGM Resorts was interested in building in Connecticut, the company filed a motion this week saying they wanted a casino in Bridgeport.
Meanwhile, MGC Chairman Stephen Crosby said last month that his committee would take a "long look" at a proposal by MGM Resorts to scale back its casino complex in Springfield. One of the suggested changes is to do away with a 25-story hotel.
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