Sheldon Adelson and his wife, Miriam, contributed more than $113 million to GOP causes during the midterm cycle. | Ethan Miller/Getty Images politics Lawyer: Adelson’s health ‘dire’

The health of Sheldon Adelson, the billionaire casino owner and one of the biggest donors to Republicans, is “dire,” according to his lawyer.

Adelson, the 85-year-old founder of Las Vegas Sands Corp., was expected to testify in an upcoming court case with Richard Suen, who has been seeking compensation since 2004, after he helped the company win a license to operate casinos in Macau.


However, Jim Jimmerson, a Las Vegas lawyer representing Las Vegas Sands, said in court on Monday that Sheldon hadn’t been in his office since the third week of December, adding that on Jan. 15 he learned the “dire nature of Mr. Adelson’s condition, health,” Bloomberg reported .

Jimmerson said Adelson “had, in fact, not participated in the company proceedings in terms of being physically present in Las Vegas at the company on Las Vegas Boulevard, since approximately Christmas Day,” according to The Nevada Independent, which was the first to report on the condition of Adelson’s health.

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The news site also reported that Adelson missed a conference call on Jan. 23 regarding the fourth-quarter earnings for Las Vegas Sands because he was “a little bit under the weather,” playing down Adelson’s declining health.

Adelson last year donated millions to two conservative super PACs ahead of the 2018 election. Adelson and his wife, Miriam, gave $25 million to the Senate Leadership Fund and $30 million to the Congressional Leadership Fund. In addition, the couple contributed more than $113 million to GOP causes during the midterm cycle.

The couple have been avid donors to the Republican Party, and have been regarded as prominent figures for the GOP.