WASHINGTON (JTA) – A federal court dismissed a defamation lawsuit against the National Jewish Democratic Council brought by casino magnate Sheldon Adelson.
A lawyer for Adelson, a Republican Party funder, said he would likely appeal Monday’s ruling by the U.S. District Court in New York.
The lawsuit was based on an NJDC news release during the 2012 election campaign that focused on a wrongful termination lawsuit brought by a fired casino employee against Adelson.
The former employee alleged that Adelson allowed prostitutes to ply their trade in his casinos in Macau, China.
In the ruling, Judge Paul Oetken said the NJDC statement was a “fair report” of a judicial hearing that was attributed properly through hyperlinks on the group’s website. He ordered Adelson to pay costs.
Lin Wood, a lawyer for Adelson, indicated an appeal was in the works.
“The Court acknowledged in its opinion that the Las Vegas Sands’ policy is one of ‘no tolerance’ for prostitution and referenced records establishing that there is no evidence that can be found that anyone at the Company supported in any way a different policy on this issue,” Wood said in a statement. “The statement by the National Jewish Democratic Council at issue in this case remains a boldfaced lie. We are reviewing the opinion for a likely appeal on what we believe to be an erroneous decision denying Mr. Adelson the basic right of trial by jury.”
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
