Steve Wynn, the former boss of Wynn Resorts Ltd. and the company’s founder, asked a federal court in the United States on Monday to dismiss the civil lawsuit filed against him by the Department of Justice which alleges that he should be registered as a foreign agent of the People’s Republic of China.
Wynn Seeks to Dismiss Foreign Agent Lawsuit
Wynn stepped down from his company amid allegations of sexual misconduct which led to a number of investigations into the company by state regulators. Wynn is also connected with China as the company operates Wynn Macau Ltd, which runs two casino resorts in the special administrative region.
Even though Wynn has agreed to step down, he never accepted the allegations mounted against him. He settled in court with his accusers and never pled guilty to any of the accusations that tarnished his reputation. He believes the Department of Justice to have filed a frivolous lawsuit he is equally determined to contest.
DoJ insists that the Foreign Agents Registration Act should apply to Wynn because he is said to have sought to curry favors with former US President Donald Trump on behalf of the Chinese government. Specifically, Wynn allegedly lobbied for POTUS to extradite a businessman that the regime back in Beijing wanted to see repatriated and tried.
However, Wynn’s legal team said that their client had no obligation to register under FARA, even if the allegations mounted against his person were true. The legal representatives insisted that Wynn was aware of his rights under the US Constitution and said that those rights would be violated if he is forcefully made to register.
Wynn Protects His Reputation at All Costs
The team was delivering their argument with the District of Columbia court circuit. Wynn has repeatedly denied those claims and said he never acted at the behest of another government. Meanwhile, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said that the lawsuit was based on hearsay and had no credible evidence. In fact, the lawsuit only sought to pour fuel in the “China threat theory.”
Most recently, Wynn won another legal battle against Lisa Bloom, a #MeToo activist, who accused the mogul of sexual misconduct, but chose to settle instead as the evidence she provided was insufficient.