Nev. judge grants restraining order

The release of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission’s investigation into casino mogul Steve Wynn’s incomplete background check was thrown into question yesterday when a Nevada judge agreed with Wynn’s request for a temporary restraining order.

Clark County Judge Elizabeth Gonzalez temporarily blocked the release of the Gaming Commission’s upcoming report on whether Wynn’s former company misled them as it successfully applied to open up the Encore Boston Harbor in Everett.

Wynn sought to bar Massachusetts gaming regulators from including information about Wynn protected by attorney-client privilege in the report, which the commission had planned to make public next month.

Gaming Commission spokeswoman Elaine Driscoll said, “The MGC is awaiting the court’s final order, and we will review all of our options at that time.”

Nevada court records show a call scheduled for noon today to determine a timeline for future hearings following the temporary restraining order granted yesterday.

“We think it was the appropriate decision,” said Wynn attorney Brian Kelly of Nixon Peabody. “We don’t think the gaming commission should be able to use privileged materials.”

Dozens of women have accused Wynn of sexual misconduct, and the onetime casino king resigned from his company after that news and reports of settlements he had made to women broke in January. The company general counsel, who knew about the payments, also was forced out.

After those headlines, the gaming commission opened this investigation into the original suitability analysis it had done before settling on Wynn over a couple of competitors to operate a Boston-area casino. The Wynn casino, now called Encore Boston Harbor, is due to open in June.