Nevada Supreme Court upholds Wynn’s $7.5M judgment against ‘Girls Gone Wild’ founder

Mona Shield Payne / Special to the Sun

CARSON CITY — The Nevada Supreme Court has upheld Steve Wynn's $7.5 million judgment in a civil defamation case against "Girls Gone Wild" founder Joe Francis.

A three-justice panel in an order dated Thursday rejected arguments by Francis that a default judgment granted by a Clark County judge in 2012 should be set aside because Francis’ attorneys had withdrawn and he was unable to defend himself.

Justices said the soft-porn video empire founder's last-minute attempts to challenge the default were an attempt to stall proceedings.

Wynn sued Francis in 2008 amid a legal tussle over a $2 million gambling debt Francis incurred the prior year at Wynn Las Vegas.

In 2012, Wynn was awarded $21 million against Francis after a separate slander trial in Los Angles.