(Photo: The Associated Press)
LAS VEGAS — Wynn Resorts Ltd. has settled an eight-year federal wage-and-tips dispute, agreeing to pay $5.6 million to settle a court fight with about 1,000 current and former table games dealers.
The company said Wednesday it was pleased with what it called it "an amiable conclusion."
U.S. District Judge Andrew Gordon on Friday approved the agreement and dismissed the case stemming from a tip-sharing policy that former CEO Steve Wynn began in 2006 at the company's Wynn and Encore resorts.
Matt Maddox, who succeeded Wynn as CEO in 2018, sought shortly after he took the top post to end the dispute.
Other Las Vegas Strip casinos did not adopt the requirement that dealers share with what Wynn termed "casino service team" leaders about 12% of pooled tips, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.
Dealers filed federal lawsuits in 2013 and 2018 seeking to recoup as much as $50 million in lost tips, the newspaper said.
The settlement was reached with the help of a 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals mediator.
Court documents said $10,000 will go to original plaintiffs Joseph Cesarz and Quy Ngoc Tang and $1.4 million to attorneys. The Review-Journal said less than $4,200 will go to other current and former dealers involved in the case.
