(JTA) — A lawsuit against billionaire casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, which could lead to the revocation of his gambling license, will be heard in the United States.
A Las Vegas judge ruled on Friday that the wrongful termination lawsuit filed by Steven Jacobs, the former CEO of Sands China, will be heard in the United States and and not in Chinese-administered Macau. Las Vegas Sands, the Nevada-based company of which Adelson is chairman and CEO, had sought to have the case tried in Macau, where Sands China operates several highly profitable casinos.
Jacobs’ lawsuit — first filed in 2010 and which names both the Las Vegas Sands Corporation and Adelson — claims he was fired for attempting to cut the casinos off from connections with organized crime and to block bribery payments to Chinese officials. Adelson has denied those claims and said Jacobs was fired for incompetence.
Adelson, a major contributor to Republican candidates and the owner of the Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom, testified in Clark County District Court that he did not have day-to-day control of the company’s operations in China. But the judge found that Adelson made all decisions for Sands China and that the case could be heard in Nevada, according to the Associated Press.
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