Las Vegas Sands Loses Macau License Court Case
Las Vegas Sands Corporation has sustained a major loss in the lawsuit brought against it by Hong Kong entrepreneur Richard Suen. Yesterday, a jury in Clark County, Nevada, returned a verdict granting Suen $43.8 million in payment and damages from Las Vegas Sands.
Suen had filed against Sheldon Adelson's casino giant after the opening of the Venetain at Macao. Suen alleged that he had been promised payment if he helped the Sands garner a license in the Oriental gambling hotbed.
Sands lawyers took the position that Suen had not followed through the entire process as contracted. However, once the case reached court, it was clear the corporation's defense was in disarray. At one point, Adelson himself testified in contradiction to previous depositions, stating that other Sands executives may have been responsible for decisions regarding Suen during a personal illness.
The jury only deliberated for a total of ten hours, and foreman Nelson Orth told reporters that the decision for Suen took less than an hour, with the remainder given to discussion as to the size of the award.
Suen had originally asked for more than $100 million, but his attorneys still judged the verdict an overwhelming victory.
While Las Vegas Sands representatives promised to appeal the decision, no apparent misreading or violation of law seemed available as grounds. Instead, any appeal may most likely be a delaying tactic, allowing for possible negotiation of a settlement. It seems certain that, whenever the final outcome, Sands will be paying a princely sum to Suen.
