Ex-Macau partner pushes through with $5B lawsuit against Las Vegas Sands

Las Vegas Sands is prepping for another round of court battle, this time courtesy of a former Macau joint venture partner.

Two years ago, Taiwanese businessman Shi Sheng Hao aka Marshall Hao and his company Asian American Entertainment (AAE) filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in Nevada accusing Sands, chairman Sheldon Adelson and two of his top lieutenants of jilting him for another partner—Hong Kong-based Galaxy Entertainment—during their joint bid for a casino concession in Macau some 13 years ago.

In its lawsuit, Asian American alleged that Sands not only terminated their joint venture, but also formed a new partnership with Galaxy, and then made “a near identical bid… using details that were exclusive to their previous partnership.”

Sands has taken legal action both in Nevada and Macau to try and stop Hao’s suit, but last month, a Macau court told Hao to proceed with his lawsuit that sought $5 billion in damages for breaking the terms of their former partnership, Reuters reported.