Sheldon Adelson Loses ‘Prostitution’ Lawsuit: ‘A Great Day For The First Amendment’

Sheldon Adelson has lost the lawsuit he brought against the National Jewish Democratic Council for defamation of character.

He sought $60 million in damages claiming that the council libeled him by linking his political contributions to his alleged involvement in prostitution.

A federal judge, sitting in Manhattan, ruled that the council’s speech was protected.

Adelson,80, is chief executive officer of the Las Vegas Sands Corp. and a major Republican donor. He is ranked by Forbes as the ninth-richest American, with a current net worth of $28.5 billion.

The lawsuit accused the council of “assassinating” Adelson’s character by alleging he personally approved of prostitution in resorts owned by a company called Sands China Limited, which is actually a Las Vegas Sands subsidiary.

The council posted an article in the months prior to the 2012 election, to try to persuade Republican candidates to refuse Adelson’s money. They claimed that his donations were “tainted” and relied upon allegations that the Adelson had “personally approved” a prostitution strategy for his casinos in Macau, China.

A former executive, who had been dismissed from Las Vegas Sands, was suing the company for wrongful termination. He made allegations in a court filing that Adelson knew about prostitution at his casinos. Adelson denies the allegations and the case is continuing.

The Associated Press reports that U.S. District Judge Paul Oetken wrote in his decision, that the larger context of the council’s article and difficulty of proving or disproving their claim led him to conclude that “statements that Adelson’s money is ‘dirty’ or ‘tainted’ constitute constitutionally protected opinion.” He also ordered Adelson to pay the council’s legal fees.

Marc Stanley, chairman of the council, was delighted. He said: “It was a great day for the First Amendment… I think it sends a message that no matter much money you have, you can’t bully people into suppressing free speech.”

L. Lin Wood, one of Adelson’s attorneys, said the decision denied his client the “basic right of trial by jury. The statement by the National Jewish Democratic Council at issue in this case remains a boldfaced lie.”

There is little doubt that Adelson’s legal team will appeal the ruling.

Marc Stanley, referring to Sheldon Adelson’s immense wealth, commented wryly,”When you have unlimited money, you can do whatever you want to do.”

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