Wynn seeks $12 million in slander trial

LOS ANGELES - Porn producer Joe Francis should pay Steve Wynn more than $12 million for alleging the casino mogul threatened to kill him and bury him in the desert, Wynn's attorney told a jury Friday.

Barry Langberg suggested the multimillion dollar verdict during closing arguments in Wynn's slander case against Francis, who alleges Wynn threatened to hit him over the head with a shovel and have him buried in the desert over a
$2 million gambling debt.

Francis has said record producer Quincy Jones showed him a stack of threatening emails, which he did not read. None was produced as evidence.

Wynn has denied Francis' allegations and told jurors they hurt his reputation and could lead to an expensive investigation by Nevada gambling authorities. Jurors, who began deliberations Friday afternoon, will decide any award to Wynn.

Wynn's attorney, Barry Langberg, accused Francis of lying about the threats and said that there was no evidence of any email Wynn had sent and that multiple witnesses corroborating Wynn's story. He argued Francis was malicious because he repeated the threats last week in an interview on "Good Morning America."

"He committed character assassination," Langberg said. "He did it for a simple reason: He didn't want to pay his debt." He argued that Francis should be forced to pay punitive damages too.

Francis' attorney, Aaron Aftergood, contended that both men may be telling the truth and the porn producer may have been misled by his neighbor, Jones. Jones denies hearing Wynn utter any threats.

Aftergood argued that the dispute was more about the "bruised ego of Mr. Wynn in the schoolyard, sandlot dust-up" that erupted between the two men. He also contends Wynn hasn't shown he suffered any damages.

Langberg said Francis erred by challenging Wynn, a billionaire who has the resources to fight the case. But he also argued that Wynn suffered significant damage to his reputation and the allegation could pose trouble for his casinos.

"At least with the newspaper after a few days, it's gone. They wrap fish in it, they throw it away," Langberg said. "But not anymore. Today, the methods by which Joe Francis used to commit assassination are digital. It's never gone. It's never thrown away. They never wrap fish in it."

He urged jurors to return a verdict against Francis that was so large it would dwarf the Google hits of the porn producer's accusations and land at the top of search results.

"You have to create a headline as big as his," he said. "You have to send a message that will stay on the Internet as long as his lie will."