Defamation Case Gone Wild

Joe Francis, the founder of “Girls Gone Wild,” said he will ask a judge to rescind a $7.5 million award given to Las Vegas mogul Steve Wynn in a civil defamation case.

Francis told the Associated Press he wasn’t at a hearing where the judgment was made and had no chance to defend himself.

The defamation suit came after Francis said he could prove that Wynn deceives casino customers. Wynn and Wynn Las Vegas filed the lawsuit in 2008 amid a separate legal tussle with Francis over $2 million that Francis allegedly incurred in debt at the Wynn Las Vegas Resort in 2007.

Francis’ attorney said that attorneys who had previously been representing Francis withdrew before the Feb. 22 hearing in Las Vegas and the Los Angeles-based Francis didn’t get proper notice.