Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Steve Wynn Says He Never Threatened to Bury His 'Girls Gone Wild' Nemesis In the Desert
Shovel via Shutterstock
()
The never-ending war between "Girls Gone Wild" creator Joe Francis and Las Vegas mogul Steve Wynn continued today when a judge decided to send the archrivals back to trial to settle a defamation lawsuit against Francis.
Wynn filed a defamation lawsuit against Francis for saying that Wynn threatened to hit him with a shovel and bury him in the desert, according to City News Service. Francis tried to get the defamation suit dismissed, but Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Joanne O'Donnell rejected the request.
Francis may not have been hit with a shovel, but Wynn's legal team will be able to smack him where it hurts. The judge also allowed Wynn's attorney's to dig into his financial assets. If a jury finds that Francis acted with malice, then his financial information could be used to seek punitive damages.
In February, Francis was ordered to pay Wynn $7.5 million after losing a five-year court battle stemming from a lawsuit Wynn filed against Francis for not paying back his gambling debts, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Francis then threatened to expose how Wynn deceived his high rollers. Wynn fired back with a defamation lawsuit, which ended in a $5 million settlement plus $2.5 in punitive damages.
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
With less to prove than LA, the city is becoming a center of impressive culinary creativity. -
Nearly 470 sections of guardrailing were stolen in the last fiscal year in L.A. and Ventura counties.
-
Monarch butterflies are on a path to extinction, but there is a way to support them — and maybe see them in your own yard — by planting milkweed.
-
With California voters facing a decision on redistricting this November, Surf City is poised to join the brewing battle over Congressional voting districts.
-
The drug dealer, the last of five defendants to plead guilty to federal charges linked to the 'Friends' actor’s death, will face a maximum sentence of 65 years in prison.
-
The weather’s been a little different lately, with humidity, isolated rain and wind gusts throughout much of Southern California. What’s causing the late-summer bout of gray?
Best of LAist