Sheldon Adelson sues Wall Street Journal reporter Kate O'Keeffe for libel

Jewish-American casino magnate Sheldon Adelson sued a Wall Street Journal reporter for libel for calling him “foul-mouthed.”

The lawsuit filed on February 22 seeks "damages, including aggravated, exemplary and special damages," for a December 5 article co-written by Kate O'Keeffe. Only O’Keeffe is named in the suit, The Wall Street Journal reported Monday.

In their December article, "Fired Executive Rankles Casino Business", O'Keeffe and Alexandra Berzon highlight the wrongful termination lawsuit filed by the former chief of Las Vegas Sands Corp in Macau Steve Jacobs. The report compares Jacobs and Adelson, saying "In some ways, Mr. Jacobs … couldn't be more different from Mr. Adelson—a scrappy, foul-mouthed billionaire from working-class Dorchester, Mass."

"We will vigorously defend Ms. O'Keeffe in this lawsuit," said a Wall Street Journal spokeswoman, declining to comment further.

Last August, Adelson sued the National Jewish Democratic Council for defamation after the organization quoted news reports alleging that he had approved of prostitution at his properties in Macau, China. The suit has not been settled.