For months now, Steve Wynn has been in the news basically non-stop. First came the allegations that he was involved in sexual harassment claims. Then the Wynn Resorts company was at risk of losing licensing in Nevada and Massachusetts. Over the past few weeks, lawsuits have been filed against Steve Wynn and the company regarding treatment of women after the harassment claims were made public. Now, the Nevada Gaming Control Board is taking action against the former CEO of Wynn Resorts, seeking to see him banned from the casino industry.
Complaint Filed
The Nevada Gaming Control Board has filed a complaint listing five counts against Steve Wynn regarding sexual harassment claims as well as being in violation of suitability regulations regarding licensing in the state. While Wynn has not commented on this recent development, he continues to deny that he was involved in any type of harassment since the story first broke in January of last year.
In the new complaint, a revocation of Wynn’s suitability from the Gaming Commission is being sought. The goal seems to be to keep Wynn from obtaining licensing in Nevada ever again. The complaint was signed by Terry Johnson and Philip Katsaros of the board, as well as the chairwoman Sandra Morgan. The complaint has been requested to be served to Wynn and he will then have 15 days to respond.
The filing would also like to see Wynn fined. Each of the counts in the complaint covers the failure of the company to use discretion and judgement to prevent such incidents from happening that might reflect on the reputation of the state and be harmful to the development of the gaming industry as a whole.
The Counts
The complaint’s first count takes on the failure of Wynn to stick to the company polices regarding sexual harassment. The investigation of the Board found that there were multiple instance of sexual contact by Wynn involving employees, which is against company policy and procedures.
Another count focuses on Wynn’s conduct as chairman and CEO. The 2005 accusation that Wynn assaulted a salon manicurist at the Wynn Las Vegas is also addressed. The victim was paid $7.5 million in a settlement deal but that settlement was not disclosed to the board of directors within Wynn Resorts.
A settlement from 2006 is also covered in the complaint where a cocktail server and her parents were involved.
Wynn Resorts continues to pay the price for the actions of their former CEO as well as other executives regarding the sexual harassment allegations over the years. In February, the company had to pay $20 million in the state of Nevada due to their failure to investigate the claims of several women who claimed to have been sexually harassed while on the job.
By May, the company was fined yet again, this time in Massachusetts, when similar findings were made by the Gaming Commission. The fine was much larger this time, with $35 million to be paid.
It is assumed that sometime in the near future, Wynn Resorts and possibly Steve Wynn will comment on the recent complaint filing in Nevada.
