Joe Francis Slander Suit Shocker! Girls Gone Wild Guy Ordered to Pay Steve Wynn $20 Million

Francis had claimed the casino mogul threatened to have him killed

By Peter Gicas Sep 10, 2012 8:50 PMTags
Joe Francis, Steve WynnEthan Miller/Getty Images; Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic

Joe Francis is probably not wild about this verdict.

That's because he'll have to cough up a whopping $20 million after a jury on Monday sided with Las Vegas casino mogul Steve Wynn, who had sued the Girls Gone Wild mastermind for slander.

Wynn initially filed suit in 2010 after Francis made claims that Wynn had threatened to have him killed and buried in the desert as payback for a gambling debt.

"He's unrepentant, vicious, out of control," said Wynn when he took the stand last week against Francis during a four-day trial, calling such an accusation a "terrible lie."

Among those called to testify was Grammy-winning record producer Quincy Jones, Francis' neighbor and friend of Wynn's.

Francis had insisted Jones told him Wynn wanted him knocked off, but in court, Jones said such conversations never took place.

Neither Francis nor Wynn were present when the verdict was read.

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