Maddox: Stand by my man

Steve Wynn disgusts me so much that I want to pack it in. His latest stratagem, faced with police reports, is a time-honored [sic] one: Blame the victim. Wynn sent a spokesman out to say the mogul “has never been supplied with these unsubstantiated accounts or the names of these accusers by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.” It’s easy to say that when knowing that Metro routinely shields the names of plaintiffs in sexual-misconduct cases, the better to protect them from the retaliation that someone like Wynn would likely visit upon him. “It’s revolting that the media repeated such inflammatory claims from events that supposedly occurred four decades ago without the slightest bit of fact-checking or skepticism,” Wynn’s herald fulminated. “This is not journalism. It is the peddling of smut and it is atrociously unfair to Mr. Wynn, his family and friends. Mr. Wynn is left to ask this simple question: When did we abandon such fundamental fairness, due process and decency?” Maybe it was the day when Wynn endorsed Donald “Grab ’em by the Pussy” Trump for the presidency. As Steve sows, so shall he reap.

Put yourself in the women’s shoes. What do you stand to gain by saying that Steve Wynn threw you up against the fridge and raped you, leaving you pregnant with an illegitimate child? Or open yourself to a charge of petty larceny by telling Metro that you were fired from the Golden Nugget for supposedly stealing 40 clams after breaking off an affair with the boss? Someone who does stand to gain is the “Jane Doe” who is suing Wynn for “exposing himself, touching her inappropriately, and hounding her for sex.” The laundry list of charges includes assault, battery, breach of contract, aiding and abetting from the board, intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress and civil conspiracy.

According to court documents Wynn, in 2011, began “mentally and emotionally grooming” the masseuse for “leveraging his immense power to coerce [Jane Doe] to perform sexual favors.” According to the lawsuit, the attempted seductions took place in Wynn’s office, with his German Shepherds in attendance. (This has a sickeningly familiar ring, although I can disclose no more than that.) The details of the lawsuit are incredibly sordid. Suffice to say that Wynn allegedly knew he had a vulnerable victim at hand. Jane Doe says she was undergoing a divorce and needed her Wynncore job to support her kids. Wynn supposedly “asked calculated questions of [Jane Doe] to ensure he discovered any weaknesses he could exploit, such as her financial dependency on keeping her job.” Wynn’s alleged advances were largely in vain, with Jane Doe saying she didn’t want to see Steve Wynn in the nude. (Who does?) She’s suing for only $50,000 plus court costs, a pittance compared to the $7.5 million Wynn paid to hush up a paternity suit.

Jane Doe says the Wynn Resorts board, co-defendants in the suit, “assisted, encouraged, endorsed, acted in concert with, and/or otherwise adopted Wynn’s behavior as their own.” CEO Matt Maddox is pleading ignorance and standing by his man, asking the public to reserve judgment until the Nevada and Massachusetts regulatory investigations are
complete. He’s also standing by the Wynn brand, saying, “The name stands for quality. It stands for service. And it’s something that all of these 25,000 [employees] look up to.” He promised greater gender equality within the company and a zero-tolerance policy, which would be a refreshing change. Trying to turn the page, he said his elevation to CEO was the culmination (albeit rushed) of a four-year planning process for Life After Steve.  As for the post-Steve era, Maddox said that “We are continuing to move forward as fast as we can.” This by implication includes Wynn West, with help from an “innovation advisory team.”Maddox also included Japan in his agenda, although the stately approval process over there can’t be hurried, no matter what the new CEO says.

* We’re sad to report that Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval (R) and wife Kathleen Sandoval are Splitsville. The Sandovals chose to take the high road, unlike the messy, public wrangle of predecessor “Midnight Jim” Gibbons and ex-wife Dawn Gibbons. Wrote the Sandovals, “Our divorce has come to an amicable conclusion. In consideration of our family, please respect our privacy concerning these matters. This is the last time either of us intend to publicly discuss the matter.” Steve Wynn could have taken pointers from the Sandovals when trading in Elaine Wynn for a newer model.

* Did you know that Las Vegas hotels have special “bio teams” on standby for hazmat situations? Probably. Or that some celebrity guests eschew the bathroom when doing #2. Maybe not. But those are some of the 15 essential facts about Strip housekeeping. Let’s all be glad that we don’t have to push a 500-pound cart around all day.