In 2008, officials from the Wynn Las Vegas, whose Chairman and Chief Executive Officer was plaintiff Stephen Wynn, a man in his 60s, sued Joe Francis to collect a $2 million gambling debt. After the casino obtained a judgment against Francis and made efforts to collect, Francis publicly accused Wynn of threatening to kill him and bury him in the desert. Wynn claimed that this accusation was false. Francis allegedly made the statement during a hearing in California court and, that same day, to an online gossip reporter. Francis then allegedly continued to make public statements about Wynn wanting Francis killed over an alleged gambling debt. Wynn claimed that one such incident even occurred during the trial of this case, on the national television broadcast of “Good Morning America.” Wynn sued Francis for slander. Wynn, the Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO of Wynn Resorts, as well as Chairman and CEO of Wynn Macau, contended that Francis’ false accusation could undermine his businesses in a state such as Nevada due to the highly regulated gambling industry. He also contended that resultantly, the accusations could lead to an investigation. Wynn’s counsel noted that in February 2012, Wynn won $7.5 million in a defamation suit against Francis, who’d claimed the casino used deceptive practices to keep him betting. Francis contended that the allegedly defamatory statements were made in a court proceeding, and as such, are absolutely privileged. Francis also contended his statements were true., Wynn testified about the emotional impact the allegedly defamatory statements had on him, particularly about the concern it caused him for the well-being of his employees. The plaintiff’s expert, a former head of Nevada’s gaming regulatory agency, testified about the significant damages that Francis’ allegations would cause with customers, as well as regulators throughout the world in ways that Wynn might never be aware of. Thus, plaintiff’s counsel asked the jury to award $12 million in compensatory damages for Wynn’s emotional distress and damage to his reputation. Defense counsel argued that plaintiff’s counsel failed to present evidence of any alleged damage to Wynn or his business interests.