4m libel case against casino mogul
23rd March, 2008
The Daily Mail has been forced to pay out £4 million in libel damages after making derogatory comments about Sheldon Adelson, chief executive of Las Vegas Sands.
In a May 2005 story the tabloid had claimed that the casino mogul - the 12th richest man in the world according to Forbes magazine - carried out his business in a "cut-throat, ruthless and despicable" manner.
The Mail even made a personal dig at Mr Adelson's reputation, accusing him of maliciously despatching a friend to notify his wife of divorce proceedings on the eve of her cancer operation.
"These allegations were all unjustified," Mr Adelson's solicitor, Gedeon Benaim, told Mr Justice Eady of London's High Court. "As such, they represent a grave slur on Mr Adelson's personal integrity and business reputation…The reporting on this issue by the Daily Mail was completely and totally in error."
Associated Newspapers, which publishes the Daily Mail, acknowledged that some of the allegations against the casino gambling tycoon were unfounded and they have agreed to the payout settlement.
Mr Adelson has said he will donate the £4 million to the Royal Marsden cancer hospital in London.
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