A whopping $7.5 million settlement Steve Wynn reportedly reached with a former employee has a possible explanation: It involved a paternity claim, people familiar with the situation told Bloomberg News.
The news comes on the heels of a Wall Street Journal exposé in which sources told the outlet the casino mogul engaged in serial sexual harassment in the workplace. The WSJ reported that Wynn reached the multimillion-dollar settlement with a former manicurist, who said Wynn pressured her into sex.
According to Bloomberg, Wynn paid the sum out of pocket in 2005. There is no evidence Wynn, now 76, actually fathered a child with the woman, the outlet reported.
Wynn has denied any wrongdoing. In a statement last week, he said his ex-wife, who is suing him over stock shares, orchestrated the accusations against him.
“The idea that I ever assaulted any woman is preposterous,” he said.
The WSJ story described how Wynn focused his unwanted attentions on his establishments’ service workers, who said their experiences ranged from vulgar comments and inappropriate touching to soliciting sex acts. As CEO of Wynn Resorts, the mogul operates two casinos in Las Vegas and two in China. Another project is under construction in Boston.
Wynn threw his support behind the Donald Trump in the 2016 election, and was hand-picked to serve as finance chair of the Republican National Convention. The WSJ report prompted him to resign from that position.
Nevada’s Gaming Control Board, which governs the state’s casinos, opened an investigation into the accusations against Wynn this week.