LAS VEGAS – Despite his assertion he doesn’t owe a dime, a federal district judge last week sided with the Wynn Las Vegas hotel and casino and ordered Girls Gone Wild producer Joe Francis to repay a multimillion-dollar gambling debt.Francis has engaged in a lengthy, sometimes amusing and often sophomoric string of tactics to delay the lawsuit filed against him following a stay at the hotel in February 2007. None of Francis’ antics amused District Judge Michelle Leavitt. On Thursday she handed Francis a bill that, between the initial $2 million stake, interest that has accrued since 2007 and court costs, may top $3 million.
Francis’ most recent shenanigans occurred in February, when during a day-long deposition he openly passed gas while refusing to answer questions, asserting his Fifth Amendment right against self incrimination. Wynn’s lawyers brought that to bear in their final written arguments before the court.
“As the court will see from reviewing the video clips of Francis’ deposition, his utter contempt for the judicial system is apparent, including his repeated attempts to disrupt the deposition with flatulence,” Wynn’s attorneys wrote.
Among the questions Francis declined to answer was whether he possessed a cell phone. During the deposition, he repeatedly used one to check email and take calls. He also responded to the Wynn attorneys’ question about whether he spoke English by reading his Fifth Amendment privilege, in English, from a card handed him by his own lawyer.
“Obviously, Francis did not assert his Fifth Amendment privilege in good faith,” the Wynn lawyers wryly noted in their arguments.
Leavitt appeared inclined to agree with them. During a June hearing, she called Francis’ antics “the most ridiculous exercise of the Fifth Amendment I think I’ve ever seen.”
Leavitt is expected to finalize her ruling on Monday after meeting with both sides, but that won’t end Francis’ legal woes. He still faces tax-evasion charges in California and a felony theft indictment related to the Wynn debt in Las Vegas.
