Free Republic

Joe Francis has just been ordered to pay casino mogul Steve Wynn ANOTHER $20 million -- on top of the $20 million he was ordered to cough up yesterday. The additional $20 million is for punitive damages in Steve Wynn's defamation lawsuit against the "Girls Gone Wild" honcho, in which Wynn claimed Francis made bogus claims that Wynn threatened to have him murdered over a gambling debt. Francis was hit with $20 million in compensatory damages yesterday -- for statements made to TMZ, "Good Morning America," and more. All told, Francis has to pay Wynn $40 million. Wynn has promised...

LOS ANGELES — A jury says “Girls Gone Wild” founder Joe Francis slandered Steve Wynn when he claimed the casino mogul threatened to kill him and bury him in the desert. The Los Angeles jury on Monday awarded Wynn $20 million.

No one ever said marriage was easy. After tying the knot in early November, Girls Gone Wild founder Joe Francis has separated from wife Christina McLarty, UsMagazine.com has learned. "Things completely changed in the relationship and it just became painful," a source close to the couple tells Us. "They are not sure if they are going to divorce yet. They're just taking some time apart." Though Francis' rep denied that McLarty moved out of their shared Bel Air pad, an insider tells Us that the two are indeed living apart as they evaluate their relationship. "The rumors are true despite...

Lady-loving "Girls Gone Wild" tycoon Joe Francis is getting hitched, the New York Post reported Friday. Francis, 37, proposed to Los Angeles' CBS News entertainment reporter Christina McLarty -- niece of Mack McLarty, former White House chief of staff to Bill Clinton -- while vacationing in St. Tropez. But it will not be a traditional wedding.

LOS ANGELES — Stop that $1 million check: It turns out the call girl linked to Eliot Spitzer had already shed her clothes for "Girls Gone Wild" as an 18-year-old while partying in Miami, the video company's founder said Tuesday. Joe Francis had reached out to Ashley Alexandra Dupre, now 22, with an offer of $1 million to appear in a non-nude spread for his company's new magazine, plus a chance to join the "Girls Gone Wild" tour bus, his company announced Tuesday. But Francis said someone had a revelation at the Tuesday morning staff meeting: Did anyone think to...

PANAMA CITY, Fla. - Two Florida women have sued "Girls Gone Wild" creator Joe Francis and his film company, alleging a sexually explicit video was released without their consent. In the federal lawsuit filed Monday in Panama City, Brooke Pastolic and Christina Brose said they were enticed to board a "Girls Gone Wild" tour bus with the promise of free clothing. Once onboard, they allegedly were given alcoholic drinks even though both were younger than 21. According to the lawsuit, the cameramen then coerced the women into exposing themselves and engaging in sexual activities, but repeatedly stated they would not...

PANAMA CITY “Girls Gone Wild” founder Joe Francis spends his days and nights in a cold, concrete cell, isolated from almost all human contact. Francis was cut off from the medication that has kept him sane, his attorney said, and a light burning 24 hours a day has kept him awake. “He can’t sleep. He hasn’t eaten properly. He’s prone to anxiety attacks,” his lawyer, Aaron Dyer, said Wednesday night. “I know if it was me, I’d be cold and frustrated. Joe has been breaking down, and Joe Francis does not break down.” Dyer said Francis had been trying to...

"Girls Gone Wild" bad boy Joe Francis has allegedly been found with pills in his Florida jail cell -- and the reason he got caught is because he allegedly tried to bribe a guard for a bottle of water with a $100 bill on Wednesday night. And get this ...TMZ has also learned that the President of Mantra Films, Scott Barbour, the company that produces "Girls Gone Wild," has also been arrested by the Bay County Sheriff on suspicion of slipping the pills and the cash to Francis. Authorities say Barbour made the handoff when he visited Francis Wednesday night...