David McKee

Update: The Trop has been hit with yet another defection — and it’s a biggie.

A bit shy of two years into his tenure as president of the Tropicana Las Vegas, veteran executive Tom McCartney has given his notice. While it’s tempting to speculate that McCartney got the heave-ho after the meltdown of the Trop’s relationship with Nikki Beach, he’s being given until month’s end to clean out his desk. Had he been sacked, there’d be no multi-week grace period, simply a cold declaration that he’d left “to pursue other opportunities.” McCartney will land somewhere else and probably soon. Come to think of it, creditors suing for control of nearby Hooters Casino Hotel could use an experienced consultant, should the property fall into their hands, unlikely as that looks at the moment. (Better draw up a non-compete clause, Mr. Y.) McCartney’s brief tenure at Planet Hollywood shouldn’t be held against him, as he saw that its assimilation into the Caesars Entertainment matrix would make him redundant and prudently hopscotched to the Trop.

Win one, lose some. For a day or two, it looked like Sheldon Adelson had wriggled clear of unflattering litigation. Attorneys for ex-Las Vegas Sands chauffeur Kwame Luangisa blamed Adelson for allegedly bilking their client of wages due, in addition to other obstreperous conduct. Now, over the years, S&G has heard of Adelson delivering more than one “abusive tirade” to someone he perceived as beneath him. However, Sands’ attorneys had a strong case for why the CEO should be excluded from the lawsuit and the court agreed.

Sheldon might want to savor that victory because he’s not having too many in court these days. In related litigation, charges of racism are being flung back and forth (a PR nightmare, no matter how it’s spun). It’s hardly news around here that Adelson travels with a heavily armed goon squad personal security detail, so Sands looks silly trying to seal court documents containing information that’s plentifully available elsewhere. But it is credible that plaintiffs’ attorney Donald Campbell “tried to throw books at Adelson during a deposition,” if only because there are so many other people in Las Vegas who would like to do the same thing. Besides, if anyone abducted Adelson, it would be O. Henry‘s The Ransom of Red Chief all over again. The kidnappers would pay to be rid of the old sourpuss.

Whatever Adelsonian information is held by former Sands China CEO Steven Jacobs must be really touchy stuff. The company earned a judicial rebuke by Continue reading →