Adelson Loses Appeal In Suit Over Prostitute Claims
Image by getty images
WASHINGTON (JTA) — Nevada’s Supreme Court dismissed a bid by Sheldon Adelson to sue Jewish Democrats who hyperlinked to an article alleging the casino magnate allowed prostitutes to work his casino in Macau.
The hyperlink, in a National Jewish Democratic Council online petition during the 2012 presidential election, was to an Associated Press article covering a lawsuit by a former employee of Adelson who alleged that he was terminated for, among other reasons, refusing to allow prostitutes to ply their trade at the casino.
Also named in the suit were the NJDC chairman at the time, Marc Stanley, and its president, David Harris. The petition called on then-Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney to renounce Adelson’s support.
In its decision Wednesday, the court agreed with other rulings dismissing the case, saying the hyperlink functioned as a footnote, correctly attributing the report to a reported source and absolving the NJDC of making the claim without evidence.
“The fair report privilege immunizes the petition drafters from civil liability,” the court said.
The Nevada Supreme Court was the third judicial venue where Adelson sought redress for the NJDC petition. A spokesman for Adelson declined to comment on the decision.
Adelson vehemently denied the allegations by his former employee, Steven Jacobs, who was CEO of the Macau casino in 2009-10. However, he settled with Jacobs last year, with his company reportedly paying the ex-staffer $75 million.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we need 500 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Our Goal: 500 gifts during our Passover Pledge Drive!
