Park Place Entertainment sued over firing of executive

Friday, June 2, 2000 | 10:54 a.m.

Foster Wilson, former vice president of entertainment at the Las Vegas Hilton, sued Park Place Entertainment Corp., alleging the company violated his employment contract by improperly firing him Feb. 25.

In his lawsuit, filed in state district court last week, Wilson accused Park Place and the Las Vegas Hilton of breach of contract and defamation. He's demanding an unspecified amount of damages.

Wilson claims his termination violated his three-year employment contract with the Hilton, which says that employment may be terminated only "for cause." The contract would have expired in May 2001.

A letter from Las Vegas Hilton President William Bigelow stated Wilson was being terminated for "continuing failure to follow policies and procedures relating to entertainment contracts." The lawsuit said the disputed procedure refers to entertainment contracts where the hotel-casino receives a portion of revenues from the act, rather than paying a fee for the performer to appear.

Wilson said he had been informed in writing that he had the authority to act on behalf of Park Place Entertainment, that the company never provided him with guidelines preventing such contracts from being signed and that he had signed such agreements before "with the express authority and approval of (Park Place) executives." Given these conditions, Wilson claimed Park Place's decision to terminate his contract was not for cause.

Prior to his termination, Wilson said he was offered two months pay if he would resign, an offer he said he refused because he believed his contract entitled him to 15 more months of employment.

Following the termination, Wilson said, "newspaper, trade and other publication articles" appeared containing information "detrimental to (Wilson's) interests and attempts to obtain alternative employment during the crucial initial stages of a job search, as well as, information that put (Wilson's) business reputation in a false light."

These stories were based on anonymous Hilton and Park Place sources, Wilson said.

A Park Place spokesman said the company does not comment on pending litigation.