Facts

Steve Wynn filed a defamation suit against Joe Francis over Francis' claims that Wynn threatened to have him killed. Wynn claimed the accusation was a "terrible lie" that could potentially hurt his reputation and that of his company.

Francis argued that the threat was real. He claimed his neighbor and longtime friend of Wynn's had told him that Wynn wanted Francis dead in an e-mail. In court, the neighbor, Quincy Jones, said that Wynn had never threatened to kill Francis and that he had never told Francis that. Francis was never able to produce the e-mail.

Francis made the accusations while disputing a $2-million gambling debt he had racked up with Wynn.

Result

The jury awarded Wynn $40 million, which included $20 million in punitive damages.