Casino magnate Sheldon Adelson sued a Wall Street Journal reporter for libel, seeking damages for a December article in which he was described as “foul-mouthed,” according to the complaint filed in Hong Kong.
Keach Hagey of The Journal writes, “The article ran under the headline ‘Fired Executive Rankles Casino Industry’ in the U.S. edition of the newspaper, but also appeared in overseas editions and on WSJ.com.
“The article, which ran in early December, contrasted Mr. Jacobs, ‘a 6-foot-5-inch-tall Ivy League graduate who colleagues say rarely curses,’ with Mr. Adelson, ‘a scrappy, foul-mouthed billionaire from working-class Dorchester, Mass.’
“The story was co-written by Kate O’Keeffe, a Journal reporter based in Hong Kong, and Alexandra Berzon, a U.S.-based reporter but the suit names only Ms. O’Keeffe. It doesn’t name the Journal or its publisher, News Corp.‘s Dow Jones & Co.
“The suit, filed on Feb. 22 in Hong Kong’s Court of First Instance, seeks ‘damages, including aggravated, exemplary and special damages.’
“The Wall Street Journal said it is representing Ms. O’Keeffe in the suit. ‘We will vigorously defend Ms. O’Keeffe in this lawsuit,’ said a Wall Street Journal spokeswoman. The company declined to comment further.”
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