Arguing that he couldn't have threatened the life of "Girls Gone Wild" creator Joe Francis via e-mail because he's never used e-mail, Vegas casino owner Steve Wynn defended himself in the ongoing feud between the two heavyweight personalities, as reported by ABC News and other media.
The two moguls are embroiled in a personal injury lawsuit, the latest in a line of litigious disputes between the two, that has resulted in Francis' latest claim that Wynn wrote him an e-mail that read, in all capital letters, "I'm going to hit to him in the back of the head with a shovel and have him buried in the middle of the desert."
The two have been waging a war in the Los Angeles courts over defamation, unpaid gambling debts, and now, alleged death threats.
This suit, filed by Wynn, 70, against Francis, 39, claims that Francis is attempting to defame Wynn – by telling multiple people that Wynn is planning his murder. The allegations, according to Wynn, are Francis' attempt to spread lies that would ruin Wynn's reputation and hurt his many businesses.
Francis claimed that Wynn sent the e-mails and that they were seen by several people – including the famous music producer Quincy Jones.
On September 4 Wynn explained to jurors, "I've never sent an email in my life. Joe Francis decided he was going to destroy the company because he didn't pay his marker (gambling debt)."
Francis told reporters that the email written in all caps and "then exclamation points" was "like a crazy person's email… I was afraid for my life. He made it very clear that he wanted to kill me."
However, during the court proceedings Francis admitted that he never actually saw the e-mails. When Jones flashed a pile of e-mail in front of him – he briefly glanced at the language.
Jones is Francis' next-door neighbor. Jones was excused from testifying in the lawsuit, due to medical grounds, but is expected to offer testimony at a later time.
It was Jones, according to Francis, that told him that Wynn was a gangster and murderer. Along with that allegation, Jones also stated that Wynn is the head of the Genovese mob family. During his deposition Francis had testified that Jones said Wynn is "old Vegas, he doesn't play."
According to Wynn, gambling oversight agencies and the FBI repeatedly investigated Wynn for a presidential commission appointment. Furthermore, according to Wynn, if the investigators had turned up anything – like threatening a person's life – he would not be allowed to run a casino. Wynn told the court, "It would be a singularly self-destructive, incredibly, incredibly stupid."
The first case between the two men was in 2009 when Francis refused to pay a gambling debt of $2 million that he owed to one of Wynn's hotels.
Next, Francis accused Wynn of deceptive practices and Wynn sued him for defamation. A judge ordered that Francis pay $7.5 million.
A personal injury lawsuit can take many forms, between moguls, between friends, between a customer and a business. If you have been hurt by the actions of another party, contact a personal injury lawyer and sue for monetary compensation.