Venetian owner Sheldon Adelson has filed a multimillion-dollar lawsuit in Los Angeles that accuses Las Vegas author John L. Smith of libeling him in the recently published book "Sharks in the Desert."

"The implication of Smith's writing is clear and unavoidable: that Adelson paid off gangsters and was 'in business with these people,'." the lawsuit said. "These statements, written by John L. Smith and published by Barricade Books Inc. and Lyle Stuart, are false and defamatory of Adelson."

Smith, a Review-Journal columnist, said the lawsuit surprised and disappointed him.

"I certainly haven't tried to link anyone to the mob," he said.

He said he "will vigorously defend" the lawsuit.

"I certainly have no ill will toward Sheldon Adelson, nor will I be intimidated by him," Smith said.

The complaint was filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court. The lawsuit describes Adelson -- chairman and chief executive officer of Las Vegas Sands Corp., the parent company of The Venetian hotel and casino -- as a resident of Malibu, Calif.

In "Sharks in the Desert," according to the lawsuit, "Smith deceptively manipulates language, quotations and sources in order to concoct the smear that Adelson had dealings with the Boston Mob when Adelson was in the vending machine business. Smith's claims are baseless -- part of Smith's procrustean effort to find gangsters and molls behind every casino door."

Smith said he was trying to describe Adelson's rise in business "and the type of tough businessman he is today."

The lawsuit was prepared by Los Angeles attorney Marty Singer, who has represented several celebrities.