Another Day, Another Defamation Suit: Civil Rights Attorney Faces Defamation Suit Brought by Billionaire, Steve Wynn

On March 25th, 2021, the Ninth Circuit ruled on billionaire resort and casino developer Steve Wynn’s defamation suit against well-known civil rights attorney Lisa Bloom.

According to the court documents, Wynn brought the defamation suit against Bloom after she published a press release claiming Wynn forced casino dancers to strip for him. The slanderous press release was published in March of 2018, about two months after The Wall Street Journal published a story listing several sexual harassment and assault claims against Wynn. Wynn’s suit against Bloom and her firm followed in April 2018, accusing Bloom of spreading slanderous lies about him.

Bloom and her firm then sought to throw out the case under Nevada’s anti-SLAPP statute, but the request was denied in January of 2019 by United States District Judge James C. Mahan. Following Judge Mahan’s rejection, Bloom renewed the dismissal bid, but Judge Mahan rejected the motion again in March 2020. The appeal to the Ninth Circuit followed.

Affirming a ruling issued by the United States District Court in Wynn’s favor, Bloom will have to face accusations that she slandered Wynn when she published a press release claiming he forced casino dancers to strip for him.

According to the opinion issued by the Ninth Circuit, the deposition of one of the casino dancers revealed that the dancer informed Bloom and her firm that she had no personal knowledge of who ordered them to strip; she just assumed that the order to strip came from Wynn.

The court’s opinion ultimately found Bloom and her firm potentially liable for defamation because they chose to publish the press release incriminating Wynn knowing that none of the witnesses could confirm that Wynn played any role in giving the instructions.

Wynn is represented by Tamara Beatty Peterson and Nikki L. Baker of Peterson Baker PLLC, and Todd L. Bice of Pisanelli Bice PLLC.

Bloom and her firm are represented by Marc J. Randazza of Randazza Legal Group PLLC.

Wynn v. Bloom et al., case number 20-15388, is in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

* Lowe & Associates (“The Firm”) is an entertainment and business law firm located in Beverly Hills, California. The firm has extensive experience handling cases involving defamation law, having provided top-quality legal services to its clients since 1991. The Firm is recognized for its many achievements, including successfully litigating many high-profile cases.

Find us at our website at www.LoweLaw.com

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