Latest news with #BryceMullins
Fox News
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Swiss-born liberal megadonor slapped with lawsuit for allegedly groping, sexually harassing winery employee
Print Close By Andrew Miller Published May 19, 2025 Swiss billionaire and liberal megadonor Hansjörg Wyss is facing a sexual harassment lawsuit from a now-former female employee in California who claims Wyss groped her, shared unwanted information about his sexual past and then ultimately retaliated against her when she denied his advances. Former Wyss employee Madison Busby, in a suit filed in San Luis Obispo County last month, claims that the 89-year-old Wyss "deliberately placed his hand on Ms. Busby's butt and groped her" the first time she was introduced to him in 2019 by her future husband, Bryce Mullins. "Mr. Wyss proceeded to tell Mr. Mullins in Ms. Busby's presence about how 'good' Ms. Busby's butt looked in the dress she was wearing," the lawsuit states. Mullins was working for the Wyss-owned Halter Ranch winery in Paso Robles, and Busby ultimately began working there in 2021. The lawsuit states that Busby did not speak up at first due to concerns that Mullins would lose his employment or standing. GOP BILL CRACKS DOWN ON 'LOOPHOLE' ALLOWING FOREIGN DONORS TO PUMP DARK MONEY INTO US ELECTIONS Over the next few years, the lawsuit alleges other harassment from Wyss, including "making several sexual propositions" including telling her "how much he enjoyed having a threesome" and suggesting they engage in a "foursome." "Throughout 2021 and 2022, Mr. Wyss frequently shared unwelcome stories about his sexual exploits and various affairs with other women," the lawsuit states. "In 2021, Mr. Wyss told Ms. Busby and Mr. Mullins about his many sexual affairs outside of his marriage and stated there was nothing wrong with affairs. He further said that Americans were 'too uptight' around those having affairs." Other allegations include Wyss telling Busby about going to a movie theater with a woman named "Lori" and meeting a man he did not know and "initiated oral sex with him" before going back to her apartment and having a threesome. SWISS BILLIONAIRE HANSJÖRG WYSS RECENTLY POURED OVER $60M INTO PROPPING UP LEFT-WING GROUPS AND CAUSES Wyss is also alleged to have "subjected Ms. Busby to a live video of Lori while Mr. Wyss was having phone sex with her" and at one point told Busby "he often had phone sex with Lori and that she could orgasm multiple times just from 'dirty talk.'" "He went on to tell Ms. Busby that he usually had phone sex at Halter Ranch with Lori because his wife was not around," the lawsuit said. "Mr. Wyss mentioned to Ms. Busby that he wanted them to 'Facetime' Lori with him." A spokesperson for Halter Winery dismissed the allegations as "not true," telling Fox News Digital that they "intend to vigorously advance the facts that surround Mr. Mullins' and Ms. Busby's time at the winery and their departure." "For almost five years, starting in 2019, Mr. Mullins and his current wife voluntarily made themselves part of the Halter Winery community and took advantage of its owner's generosity," the spokesperson continued. "This included deciding to become employees of the winery, choosing to live at the winery rent free for years, frequently traveling with the owner to Europe, the Caribbean and elsewhere at the owner's expense, asking the owner and his wife to host their wedding party and inviting the owner to serve as Best Man. Through all these years, they never complained about the owner's conduct, or simply declined to spend so much time with him, until after they voluntarily left their employment at the winery in 2024." Wyss, according to the lawsuit, knew his actions could be legally problematic for him, telling Busby at one point in 2022, "If you ever went after me for sexual harassment, you would win." When Busby and Mullins began pulling away and decided to move to a smaller house on the property in order to ensure that Wyss would not be able to stay with them when he visited, the lawsuit alleges that Wyss retaliated against them by forcing her to take a pay cut and insisting the couple pay rent. Busby resigned from her position and sent a letter on the day she left to Wyss outlining her concerns about his "ongoing conduct and her own anxiety and distress as the result of that conduct." The complaint filed in April accuses Wyss of sexual harassment, retaliation, wrongful termination, intentional infliction of emotional distress and sexual battery. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Wyss is also facing a lawsuit from Mullins, who says the billionaire "abruptly terminated" his employment after Busby's complaint, despite bringing him out from the East Coast to work at the ranch and once promising Mullins would "have full control of the Halter Companies upon Mr. Wyss's death." Fox News Digital reached out to Busby's legal team for comment. "The Wyss Foundation and Berger Action Fund have no involvement with this matter. The organizations' charitable activities are totally separate from those of the Halter Ranch," a Wyss foundation spokesperson told Fox News Digital. Wyss, who is referred to by some as the "new George Soros," is well-known in American politics as one of the most prominent liberal megadonors and has given hundreds of millions to Democratic causes through a network of left-wing nonprofits. Print Close URL
Telegraph
16-05-2025
- Telegraph
Chelsea co-owner accused of sexually harassing employee
The billionaire co-owner of Chelsea, Hansjorg Wyss, has been accused of sexually harassing an employee at his California winery. The 89-year-old allegedly made unwanted advances to Madison Busby, a 30-year-old architectural engineer graduate who took on a job at Wyss's Halter Ranch winery, which was managed by her now-husband Bryce Mullins. Busby alleges that Wyss visited the winery in September 2019 and suggested that the three cook together. 'While Ms Busby cooked at the stove, Mr Wyss, then in his mid-eighties and married, deliberately placed his hand on Ms Busby's butt and groped her,' the lawsuit says. Wyss allegedly also asked Mullins if he had 'sexy' pictures of Busby on his phone. Busby says that she was 'appalled and disgusted' but did not complain because she feared that Mullins would lose his job. Halter Ranch say that the allegations are untrue. 'We intend to vigorously advance the facts that surround their time at the winery and their departure,' a statement says. According to the complaint filed in San Luis Obispo County, Busby moved into the winery with Mullins in 2020 and they were visited by Wyss and his late wife. 'During their stay, Mr Wyss made several sexual propositions of Ms Busby,' the complaint says. 'In addition, Mr Wyss told stories of his sexual exploits in graphic detail to Ms Busby and Mr Mullins. These included tales of his past and ongoing sexual affairs with women.' Busby said she became an employee at Halter Ranch in January 2021. 'After Ms Busby was hired, Mr Wyss began to proposition Ms Busby and Mr Mullins to have sex with him, either as a group or with Ms Busby alone, and Mr Wyss began trying to insert himself into their sex lives,' says the lawsuit. 'Ms Busby attempted to ignore the comments, change the subject or deflect them. At the time, she did not raise complaints with Mr Wyss out of concern for their employment.' Busby left the winery in July 2024 and is now seeking compensation. In a statement denying the allegations, Halter Ranch added: 'For almost five years, starting in 2019, Mr. Mullins and his current wife voluntarily made themselves part of the Halter Winery community and took advantage of its owner's generosity. 'This included deciding to become employees of the winery, choosing to live at the winery rent free for years, frequently travelling with the owner to Europe, the Caribbean and elsewhere at the owner's expense, asking the owner and his wife to host their wedding party and inviting the owner to serve as Best Man. 'Through all these years, they never complained about the owner's conduct, or simply declined to spend so much time with him, until after they voluntarily left their employment at the winery in 2024.' Wyss built his fortune in the medical device industry and, according to Forbes, is worth $4.8 billion. He established the Wyss Foundation in 1998, a charity which aims to 'confront the global conservation crisis'. In 2022, Wyss was part of the consortium that bought Chelsea after sanctions were imposed on the Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich.
