It has been years since the scandal involving now-former Wynn Resorts Ltd. CEO Steve Wynn erupted after detailed reporting by the Wall Street Journal forced his resignation in 2018. Wynn was named as the perpetrator of unsolicited advancements toward female employees across the company’s properties, which cost him his marriage, and his position within Wynn Resorts, and came along with years of legal headaches.
Wynn Stands Firm in Face of Litany of Charges
On Tuesday, it was confirmed that the Nevada Gaming Control Board is currently preparing to hold a hearing on the sexual harassment charges levied against the fallen-from-grace casino mogul. The hearing will be held before the Nevada Gaming Commission. This hearing is individual from the proceedings by the NGC which resulted in Wynn Resorts being fined $20 million back in 2019.
At the time, the regulator argued that Wynn Resorts had failed to properly address sexual harassment claims against the former chief executive officer. Dozens of women spoke out against Wynn, alleging sexual misconduct and worse. Yet, none has been particularly successful with Wynn’s legal team settling most of the cases privately and going after any detractor that sought to sully his reputation.
The former chief executive is also particularly irascible when it comes to matters involving the GCB and NGC. He has repeatedly insisted through his legal team that any attempts by the regulators to hold him accountable were unfounded. Wynn has been reminded multiple times that he has stood no formal trial or been convicted of any of the charges alleged. In fact, he even won lawsuits against some of the people who had accused him of perpetrating those crimes in the first place.
Not only that, but Wynn’s legal team has been insisting for years that Silver State regulators have no hold over their client. Their jurisdiction over the man dissipated with his voluntary decision to hand in his resignation back in 2018, a little after the Wall Street Journal article hit the wires.
Wynn Hasn’t Lost a Case Alleging Misdemeanor
In November 2020, Wynn’s team won a case at County District Court where Judge Adriana Escobar sided with Wynn’s team, but the GCB pursued the matters with the Nevada Supreme Court. Meanwhile, the claims against Wynn are not nearly done. Brenna Schrader, a massage therapist at Wynn Resorts, filed a lawsuit in which it alleges that the former CEO forced her to be an “on-call sexual servant.”
Schrader also alleges in her lawsuit that she is still the subject of a hostile work environment at Wynn Resorts because of her decision to seek justice against the former CEO. So far, Steve Wynn has taken most of those accusations in stride and succeeded in defending himself across the board.