Hotel Mogul Denies Making Death Threats to 'Girls Gone Wild' Founder

Sussing out true friends of a multi-millionaire from the fakers can be tough.

Joe Francis, of Santa Monica-based Mantra Films, is once again locked in a nasty legal dispute with billionaire mogul Steve Wynn, and his would-be best man, record producer Quincy Jones.

In a defamation lawsuit against Francis, Wynn testified Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court that Jones routinely disparaged the producer. "He refers to Joe Francis as a screwball, a maniac... a villain," Wynn said.

Wynn's testimony contradicted that of the Girls Gone Wild founder, who told jurors on Tuesday that he had a close relationship with Jones and that the Motown great told him Wynn sent him emails saying he wanted Francis dead.

"He showed me stacks of emails," Francis told the jury on Tuesday. "He was rattling them in my face."

However, testifying as the trial's opening witness, Francis said he never actually read any of the emails to check for the authenticity of their content.

"I think it would have been rude and insulting," he said.

Francis created Santa Monica-based Mantra Films, a softcore pornography production business he used to distribute Girls Gone Wild. His fortune is reportedly valued at $150 million.

Wynn's defamation suit is the latest in a series of court battles between the two and is one in a long line of other legal troubles for Francis that have included tax evasion, child abuse and prostitution. The first dispute with the hotel mogul was in 2009 when Francis reportedly refused to pay $2 million he owed to one of Wynn's casinos, ABC News reported.

After Francis publicly accused Wynn of deceptive practices at his casinos, Wynn sued him for defamation.

ABC has dubbed it one of the "natiest legal battles Sin City has ever seen."

In his suit filed in June 2010, Wynn alleges Francis defamed him by twice stating on April 12, 2010, that Wynn threatened to kill the video-maker and bury him in the desert.

Wynn testified he met Jones more than 30 years ago, prior to the time the hotelier said he began working with Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin on entertainment ventures in Las Vegas. Wynn said it was while he was involved in
previous litigation with Francis that he first found out that the defendant knew Jones and that the two lived on the same street.

Wynn said Jones told him that he was scheduled to be Francis' best man
at his wedding to Christina McClarty. But Jones said he would not go forward
with that promise unless Frances agreed to settle with Wynn, according to the
casino owner.

Wynn denied telling Jones he wanted to kill Francis.

"I did not send an email or tell Mr. Jones I was going to kill anybody,'' Wynn testified. "It is a terrible lie."

— City News Service contributed to this report.