Sheldon G. Adelson, the billionaire casino owner who has emerged as one of the country's biggest Republican donors, filed a $60 million libel lawsuit in federal court on Wednesday against a Democratic group that Mr. Adelson said had falsely accused him of condoning prostitution in his Macau casino properties.
The group, known as the National Jewish Democratic Council, published an article on its Web site in July urging Mitt Romney and other Republicans not to accept Mr. Adelson's contributions because he “reportedly approved of prostitution.†The accusation, which Mr. Adelson and officials at his company, Las Vegas Sands, have denied, stems from a continuing lawsuit against Mr. Adelson by a former Sands executive, Steven C. Jacobs, who alleged in court papers filed in June that company officials had sanctioned prostitution at its Macau casino. Several news outlets published the accusations.
Mr. Adelson's laws uit, filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, names the Manhattan-based Jewish council as well as two of its officials, David A. Harris and Marc R. Stanley. It seeks $10 million in compensatory damages and $50 million in punitive damages.
“Defendants' goal was to advance their perceived political interests by assassinating Mr. Adelson's character, punishing him for exercising his right to make monetary contributions to political causes and candidates of his choice, and demeaning him within the Jewish community,†the lawsuit alleges.
In a statement, the council said it would fight the lawsuit.
“We will not be bullied into submission, and we will not be silenced by power,†the group said. “This is not Putin's Russia, and in America, political speech regarding one of the most well-known public figures in our country is a fundamental right. One would think the person making greatest use of the Citizens United ruling would understand this.â€
In recent months, Mr. Adelson has emerged as one of the country's leading patrons of conservative causes and Republican candidates, donating to tens of millions of dollars to “super PACs†and other outside groups and suggesting he would be willing to spend as much as $100 million on this year's elections.
A similar accusation against Mr. Adelson was leveled in recent weeks by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. After legal threats from Mr. Adelson, the Democratic committee on Friday published a formal apology and retraction.
