Adelson prevails in lawsuit surrounding Macau casino

After going zero-for-two, Las Vegas Sands Corp. Chairman Sheldon Adelson finally prevailed in a lawsuit surrounding his company’s casino operations in Macau.

A federal judge in Boston has ruled Adelson does not have to pay a former employee who claimed he came up with the idea of building casinos in Macau.

Moshe Hananel, who managed Adelson’s Interface Partners International’s office in Tel Aviv, sued Adelson and the casino company, claiming he had a deal to collect 12 percent of the Macau investment.

Hananel argued he came up with the idea to construct a casino in Macau, and also researched the area and prepared documents for Adelson.

Following a three-week trial, U.S. District Judge Patti Saris found that Hananel is not due any money.

“Hananel may have gotten Adelson’s wheels spinning, but he never got anything in gear,” the judge wrote in her decision.

Adelson and Las Vegas Sands could end up paying out more than $100 million in legal matters surrounding the company’s efforts to obtain a gaming license in Macau in 2002.

On June 3, Las Vegas Sands settled a Clark County District Court lawsuit filed by Clive Basset Jones, Dax Turok and Cliff Cheong who claimed the company breached an agreement to pay a success fee in an amount equal to 5 percent of the ownership interest in the casino operator’s Macau gaming subconcession.

According to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Las Vegas Sands settled the matter for $42.5 million, of which $12.5 million has been paid. Las Vegas Sands will pay the remaining $30 million next March.

In May 2008, a Clark County jury ruled in favor of Hong Kong businessman Richard Suen, who was awarded $43.8 million for helping the company in its licensing. Prejudgment interest increased the award to $58.6 million. Las Vegas Sands is appealing the verdict to the Nevada Supreme Court

A lawsuit filed by Asian American Entertainment Corp., the company that originally partnered with Las Vegas Sands in Macau, is still pending U.S. District Court in Nevada.