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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 Reporte r. 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.
