Wynn facing OT suit by former executive protection agent
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10 December 2011
2 a.m.
A second Las Vegas Strip casino operator has been sued over allegations an executive protection agent wasn’t paid overtime pay he had earned.
Attorneys for Richard Derek Olsen, a former Wynn Las Vegas agent, filed suit Friday charging Olsen wasn’t paid for more than 880 overtime hours worked during his duties that included protecting Wynn Resorts Ltd. Chairman and CEO Steve Wynn and numerous dignitaries and celebrities.
Friday’s lawsuit, filed in federal court in Las Vegas, is similar to two filed in June by current and former executive protection agents for Las Vegas Sands Corp. and a former driver for Las Vegas Sands Chairman and CEO Sheldon Adelson.
A request for comment was placed with Wynn Las Vegas on the suit, filed by attorneys with the Las Vegas law firm Parker Scheer Lagomarsino.
Similar to the Las Vegas Sands’ executive protection agents’ suit, in which some of the agents said they had been fired, Olsen said in Friday’s lawsuit he was terminated by Wynn Las Vegas on July 30.
"Mr. Olsen's stellar job performance and the extremely long hours that he worked were not enough to overcome the petty grudge that his new supervisor held against him. As a result, my client was terminated for pre-textual reasons unrelated to his work protecting corporate assets, celebrities and dignitaries, which he accomplished flawlessly," attorney Andre Lagomarsino said.
Olsen’s suit says he was hired in 2008 as a corporate investigator and that his duties included investigating gaming fraud, theft and workplace accidents; reviewing potential vendors and business partners; and working on prostitution stings and other compliance activities at Wynn nightclubs.
The suit says he was also trained as a cyber forensic investigator checking for potential hacker attacks, improper email communications, unauthorized file copying, attempted data theft and destruction and other activities that could compromise Wynn’s sensitive business data, trade secrets and confidential client information.
Olsen’s suit said he also worked as the lead “executive and dignitary protection agent’’ and was assigned to details protecting Steve Wynn, Wynn Resorts board member Elaine Wynn, former President George W. Bush, Sen. Harry Reid, Gov. Brian Sandoval, former Gov. Jim Gibbons, former Mayor Oscar Goodman, First Lady Michelle Obama and celebrities Beyonce Knowles, Clint Eastwood, Steven Spielberg, Prince Albert of Monaco, Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood.
Among the events he’s entitled overtime for are numerous Garth Brooks concerts in 2010 and 2011, the lawsuit says.
"Plaintiff was directed by defendants to work, and did such work, in excess of 40 hours per week, but was paid on a salary basis with no overtime," the suit charges.
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It is sad that this man did not file his complaint while working for Wynn. What happened? Why not look at the lawyers again. Kinda looks like Construction Faults cases that are abundant in this Valley. Now they are going after Casino Owners. Let me tell you this, if there was a case, it would settle before it reached this level, simply because of the
labor laws in this country. Lawyer's have found another tit to suck dry.
The Wynn is not paying overtime? Shocker. Isn't it the Wynn that "redistributes" its own dealer's tips to non-tip earning employees to save itself a few bucks?
I don't agree with the previous poster. This case sounds legit. I love how people bag on lawyers just like they bag on policemen. Everybody hates lawyers and police...until they need them.
Wynn and Adelson become victims! Who'd at thought?
40 hour work week. Anything beyond that, you get paid. That's how the law should be written. Forget exclusionary jobs. The law is too vague and open to interpretation. In a bad economy, employers use the "don't complain, you've got a job" excuse when working people well beyond 40 hour weeks.
Honestly, None of us know the facts of this case. At this point we have one side told by an attorney.
If there is something to this it will be taken care of, if not he will lose in court but the public has no idea what the truth is in this case on either side at this point.