Wynn's Eyesight Defense Lacks Vision, Women's Rights Lawyer Says
Wynn's Eyesight Defense Lacks Vision, Women's Rights Lawyer Says
(Bloomberg) -- Steve Wynn’s claim that he can’t be accused of ogling female dancers because he’s legally blind doesn’t hold water, according to a women’s rights lawyer sued by Wynn for allegedly defaming him.
Legal blindness isn’t equivalent to clinical blindness and there’s no reason to think that Wynn, a well-known art collector, isn’t capable of seeing things, lawyer Lisa Bloom said Wednesday in a bid to throw out Wynn’s defamation lawsuit.
“While Mr. Wynn’s eyesight may be less than ideal, it is clear that he can still see,” Bloom said in her request in federal court in Las Vegas. “And in bringing this lawsuit, he is perhaps more like Oedipus, lacking vision, but not eyesight.”
In any case, the question of Wynn’s eyesight is a legally irrelevant red herring because to claim defamation, according to Bloom, he must show that she knew he was so blind that he couldn’t see scantily clad women when she issued a press release with those allegations.
The billionaire former chief executive officer of Wynn Resorts Ltd. sued Bloom last month, saying he has been legally blind for almost two decades and couldn’t have leered at ShowStoppers dancers, including Bloom’s client, during rehearsals at his Las Vegas casino. One of the female dancers alleges the group was told to strip to their bras and panties and wear high heels and makeup when Wynn attended rehearsals.
Bloom said she verified the story with other dancers and unsuccessfully sought a response from Wynn’s lawyers before issuing a press release with the allegations.
To contact the reporter on this story: Edvard Pettersson in Los Angeles at epettersson@bloomberg.net.
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Elizabeth Wollman at ewollman@bloomberg.net, Peter Blumberg
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