Tuesday, June 29, 2004
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Wynn, publisher settle lawsuit

A book publisher accused of libeling Steve Wynn has entered into a confidential settlement with the gaming figure.

No one would comment Monday about the terms of the agreement between Wynn and Lyle Stuart, publisher of Barricade Books .

"I can say that it is settled and it is confidential," said JoNell Thomas, an attorney for Barricade.

"Lyle Stuart is very pleased that the matter has been disposed of," said New York-based attorney David Blasband, who also represents Stuart and Barricade. He declined further comment. Wynn's attorney could not immediately be reached for comment Monday.

Wynn filed a lawsuit against Stuart and others as a result of an advertisement Stuart produced for the book "Running Scared: The Life and Treacherous Times of Las Vegas Casino King Steve Wynn." The book's author is Review-Journal columnist John L. Smith.

In an advertisement sent to some 5,000 reviewers, Barricade said the book "details why a confidential Scotland Yard report called Wynn a front man for the the Genovese family."

Wynn, who has adamantly denied any connection to organized crime, subsequently sued. In 1997, a Clark County jury awarded Wynn slightly more than $3 million from Barricade and Stuart.

But in January 2001, the Nevada Supreme Court overturned the award based on a faulty jury instruction. The case was tentatively scheduled for a second trial this fall.

Smith has been excluded from the lawsuit because he did not write or distribute the advertisement flier.

As a result of the settlement, neither party opposed dismissal of the litigation by District Judge Jessie Walsh in court on Friday.