Latest news with #HansjorgWyss
The Sun
16-05-2025
- The Sun
Chelsea co-owner Hansjorg Wyss, 89, accused of sexual harassment after ‘groping young employee & suggesting a foursome'
CHELSEA co-owner Hansjorg Wyss has been accused of sexual harassment after allegedly groping a young employee, a lawsuit claimed. It has also been claimed the 89-year-old suggested a foursome to the female staff member, 30. 3 The alleged harassment took place at a winery he owns in Paso Robles, California, called Halter Ranch. Wyss is accused of making unwanted advances to Madison Busby, who worked at the site. The winery was managed by her now-husband Bryce Mullins. The lawsuit stated: '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." Wyss also allegedly asked Mr Mullins if he had any sexual photographs of Ms Busby on his phone. A spokesperson from Halter Ranch strongly denied all allegations. 'We intend to vigorously advance the facts that surround their time at the winery and their departure,' a statement said. The lawsuit stated how Ms Busby moved into the winery with her now-husband in 2020 and became a staff member in 2021. During the stay, it is alleged Wyss made "several sexual propositions" towards the 30-year-old employee. He is also accused of sharing explicit sexual stories with the couple and sharing tales of affairs. Once Ms Busby became an official employee, the lawsuit also claims Wyss pushed for threesomes with herself and Mr Mullins - as well as other people. She did not make any complaints at the time over fears they would lose their jobs, it is claimed. The 30-year-old left the winery in 2024 and has since filed the lawsuit. 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 has an estimated net worth of £4.2 billion according to Forbes. He is the founder of Synthes USA, the world's largest medical device manufacturer making internal screws and plates for broken bones. They manufactured the company's devices and exported them to the US which led to the billionaire opening up his first manufacturing plant in Colorado. Under Wyss' guidance, the American division sales team expanded and trained surgeons on how to use its products such as plates and internal screws. This helped him to officially became Synthes' worldwide CEO and chairman until HR decided in 2007 that he would only want to represent as the chairman before Johnson & Johnson acquired Synthes in 2012. Wyss sold Synthes for a staggering amount of £14.7bn in cash and stocks where he would go on to purchase stakes in a publicly-traded biotech companies NovoCure and Molecular. In 2022, Wyss was part of the consortium that bought Chelsea after sanctions were imposed on the Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich. Chelsea FC were contacted for comment.
Daily Mail
16-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Billionaire Chelsea owner, 89, accused of sexually harassing an employee at his California winery
A Chelsea co-owner has been accused of sexually harassing one of his employees at a winery he owns in California. Hansjorg Wyss was part of the consortium that purchased the Premier League giants back in 2022 along with Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital after Roman Abramovich was subjected to sanctions. In addition to the west London club, Wyss owns a winery, Halter Ranch, in Paso Robles, and regularly donates to left-wing causes after making his fortune by selling a medical device manufacturer in 2012. He is thought to have a net worth of around $4.8billion (£3.6bn), has given billions to charities, and is particularly aligned with environmental causes. The 89-year-old has had a sexual harassment suit filed against him, alleging that he subjected the complainant to unwanted advances. One such advance includes allegedly attempting to initiate a threesome with the complainant, Madison Busby, and her husband, Bryce Mullins. However, it further adds that Wyss admitted a potential lawsuit against him would be successful, allegedly saying: 'If you ever went after me for sexual harassment, you would win.' The lawsuit contains a number of alleged instances of 'inappropriate behaviour' from the Chelsea co-owner while Busby was working at the Halter Ranch winery. The winery has claimed that the allegations are false, stating: 'We intend to vigorously advance the facts that surround their time at the winery and their departure.' Busby claimed she was left 'appalled and disgusted' by the Swiss billionaires alleged actions, but felt unable to complain due to the risk of her later-husband Mullins losing her job. '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 contends, after the billionaire made a visit in 2019. '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 alleges. 'A few nights later, Mr. Wyss suggested to Ms. Busby that she wear the same dress again because it looked "sexy" on her.' Busby later relocated to the winery in 2020, and later that year was subjected to another alleged incident of inappropriate behaviour during another visit from Wyss, accompanied by late wife Roz Stone Zander. 'During their stay, Mr Wyss made several sexual propositions of Ms Busby,' the lawsuit 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.' In 2021 the complainant became an employee at the ranch, after which 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.' The lawsuit also notes the 89-year-old expressed the sentiment that Americans were 'too uptight' about the topic of affairs, which he allegedly felt there was little wrong with. According to the complaint, the billionaire is also alleged to have enquired what Busby's favourite sex positions were. On several occasions, Wyss would even undress in front of Busby and Mullins - and invite them to remove their clothing as well, she claims. Busby said Wyss would continue to make sexual advances at her - both alone and in front of Mullins. 'Mr Wyss told Ms Busby how much he enjoyed having a threesome, even with another man,' the lawsuit states. 'He even suggested a "foursome" and stated that it would be "fun" for the three of them and another woman by the name of "Lori."' Wyss is alleged to have told Busby in 2021 about a sexual experience he had with 'Lori', and a trip to the cinema they took where they 'met a man they did not know, initiated oral sex with him, and then all returned to her apartment to have a threesome.' She now claims she deserves compensation for damages, including 'lost earnings, back-pay, future-pay, lost employment benefits and unpaid wages.' Describing the impact the alleged incidents had on Busby, the suit continued: 'They made her profoundly uncomfortable not only due to their nature but also due to the fact that she was married and Mr Wyss was her employer. '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.' It also alleges that on her return from maternity leave in 2023 her salary was decreased by $10,000 (£7,500), and she was later forced to resign in summer 2024 as a result of the alleged ongoing inappropriate behaviour. Busby is suing for unspecified damages. However, this is not the first time Wyss has been accused of sexual harassment. In 2013, he settled out of court for $1.5 million with a Colorado woman who claimed she suffered sexual abuse for years as an employee at the Wyss Foundation, according to the Daily Caller. She had claimed she had to have sex with Wyss in order to get him to fund grants to nonprofits that focused on at-risk youth and sex trafficking. Years before, another former employee filed a federal suit against him, claiming he created a hostile work environment at Synthes - a medical device manufacturer he founded to make implants to mend bone fractures.
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.
Daily Mail
16-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Socialist billionaire is accused of forcing his California winery employees into orgies and threesomes
A billionaire Democratic donor has been accused of trying to coax a couple in his employ to have orgies and threesomes with him and another woman. Hansjorg Wyss, 89, also allegedly exposed himself to Madison Busby, 30, 'brazenly groped' her and made several other unwanted sexual advances, according to a lawsuit filed in San Luis Obispo County Superior Court. Busby finally decided to quit Wyss' Halter Ranch until July 2024. She now claims she deserves compensation for damages, including 'lost earnings, back-pay, future-pay, lost employment benefits and unpaid wages.' 'Madison has suffered severe motional distress from the harassment which took place over the course of many years and also from lost wages and then future damages,' her attorney, John Ly, said in a statement. 'She's been harmed immensely.' Busby's lawsuit claims she first met Wyss in 2019, when her now-husband, Bryce Mullins invited her to meet his boss. Mullins was working at Halter Ranch in Paso Robles, California as a general manager and living on the property. At that very first meeting, Busby claims Wyss - who has an estimated net worth of $4.8 billion and lives in Wyoming - 'deliberately placed his hand on Ms. Busby's butt and groped her. '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 alleges. 'A few nights later, Mr. Wyss suggested to Ms. Busby that she wear the same dress again because it looked "sexy" on her.' At the time, Busby claims she had hoped it was a one-off statement. But soon, Wyss's creepy behavior escalated, according to the lawsuit. It says Wyss 'made several sexual propositions' at subsequent meetings, but Busby did not want to speak up at the time because she did not want to jeopardize Mullins' standing with the company. Meanwhile, Busby and Mullins' relationship grew more serious - and she moved in with him on the property in 2021. Their home life, though, allegedly became crowded as Wyss would stay in the house with them whenever he visited the Paso Robles property. On several occasions, Wyss would even undress in front of Busby and Mullins - and invite them to remove their clothing as well, she claims. Still, when she was offered a job as a project manager at the winery, Busby accepted the offer. For years afterward, Busby said Wyss would continue to make sexual advances at her - both alone and in front of Mullins. 'Mr. Wyss told Ms. Busby how much he enjoyed having a threesome, even with another man,' the lawsuit states. 'He even suggested a "foursome" and stated that it would be "fun" for the three of them and another woman by the name of "Lori."' Wyss also allegedly told Busby about his own sexual experiences, including several affairs and even a story about him and Lori meeting a man in a movie theater in his native Switzerland, initiating oral sex with him and then having a threesome at Lori's apartment. 'He further said that Americans were "too uptight" around having those affairs,' the lawsuit claims. Wyss allegedly then went on to mention Lori once again when he 'shoved his iPad in Ms. Busby's face' to show Lori wearing 'shear, black lingerie' on FaceTime. He then went on to question Mullins and Busby about their sexual preferences and even 'asked Ms. Busby about her favorite sexual preferences,' the suit claims. On a business trip in January 2021 - shortly after Busby joined the staff at the winery - he also allegedly suggested 'if Bryce is not behaving, you can join me in bed. By 2022, Wyss even allegedly told Busby 'If you ever went after me for sexual harassment, you would win.' Still, Busby says she kept her mouth shut out of concern for her and Mullins' careers. But privately, she says she spoke to Mullins after they got married and had a baby - and the two agreed to move into a smaller house on the property, which did not have enough room for Wyss to stay over. At that point, though, Busby claims Wyss began to demand they pay $1,650 in monthly rent - even though the prior tenant was only paying $300 a month, and they were living at the larger house free-of-charge. When Busby then returned from maternity leave in 2023, she claims Wyss told her and her husband they were both being overpaid - so Busby decided to voluntarily reduce her salary from $75,000 to $65,000 'fearful of any more retaliation' as she sought treatment for anxiety and stress. Busby ultimately decided to resign in July 2024, sending the company a formal complaint, denouncing the 'inappropriate behavior and misconduct' Wyss inflicted on her and her husband. Hansjorg Wyss: The low-profile Swiss billionaire who became a force in US politics Born in the Swiss capital of Bern in 1935, Wyss was raised in an apartment with his two sisters. He received a master's degree in civil and structural engineering from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich in 1959 before going on to earn an MBA from Harvard six years later. After spells in textile engineering - including in different roles for car manufacturer Chrysler in Pakistan, Turkey and the Philippines - he worked in the steel industry and ran a side business selling planes. Through that side focus, Wyss met a surgeon who had co-founded Synthes, a medical device manufacturer. Spotting an opportunity, the Swiss founded and became president of Synthes USA in 1977. He was Synthes' worldwide CEO and chairman until his resignation as CEO in 2007, and was company chairman until Johnson & Johnson - the medical company which developed a Covid vaccine - acquired the company five years later for $19.7 billion. In 2008, he donated $125 million to Harvard University, in what was then the largest donation in its history. But he has generated controversy for his funding of groups looking to exert behind-the-scenes influence on American politics. These include the Hub Project, which seeks to 'dramatically shift the public debate and policy positions of core decision makers' by influencing media and public opinion in a 'progressive' direction. Mullins has also filed his own lawsuit against his former boss, claiming Wyss failed to honor a promise of equity in Halter Ranch that would have grown to at least $30 million, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. He describes how the Swiss billionaire coaxed him away from his life and finance career on the East Coast to help run Halter Ranch and make it profitable. Mullins said in his suit that he was reluctant at first to accept the job, as a business professor warned him 'that Halter Ranch's problems - stemming in large part from Mr. Wyss' emotional decision-making and outsized ego - were not ones Mr. Mullins would be able to remedy.' Yet Wyss's alleged promise that Mullins would 'have full control of the Halter Companies upon Mr. Wyss's death' was too enticing, and Mullins became Halter Ranch's vice president and general manager. That all ended after his wife sent her complaint email, Mullins claims. He said Wyss 'abruptly terminated' his employment and offered a severance package that required him to release his claim on the equity in the business. Wyss has not yet responded to either lawsuit, but executives at Halter Ranch have denied the claims. 'The allegations in the complaint are not true and we intend to vigorously advance the facts that surround their time at the winery and their departure,' they said in a statement. '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,' they 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.' However, this is not the first time Wyss has been accused of sexual harassment. In 2013, he settled out of court for $1.5 million with a Colorado woman who claimed she suffered sexual abuse for years as an employee at the Wyss Foundation, according to the Daily Caller. She had claimed she had to have sex with Wyss in order to get him to fund grants to nonprofits that focused on at-risk youth and sex trafficking. Years before, another former employee filed a federal suit against him, claiming he created a hostile work environment at Synthes - a medical device manufacturer he founded to make implants to mend bone fractures. She wound up losing the case claiming employment discrimination, but the judge noted that the sexually offensive incidents she cited were 'undisputed by the defendants' including Wyss, the Daily Caller reports. Still Wyss has become a major donor to left-leaning causes. His Wyss Foundation has also donated over $807million in the United States since 2016, with much of it going to either environmental causes or to support the environmental efforts of Joe Biden's presidency. The foundation has a specific arm for lobbying and political advocacy called the Berger Action Fund, which has donated $343million to groups trying to stop Republican gerrymandering efforts, as well as Democrat-aligned super PACs. In fact, over $60million of the Berger fund's $72million went to drumming up support for Biden's programs. Many of his donations also went to trying to stop President Donald Trump in his first term and his successful nomination of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh The Wyss Foundation and BAF, however, have claimed that they never directly donate to campaigns or candidates - which is prohibited by federal law as it is believed Wyss is still a Swiss national with no US citizenship. His daughter Amy, though, has previously served on the board of the Wyss Foundation and is a US-Swiss dual citizen.
Times
15-05-2025
- Business
- Times
Billionaire Chelsea owner ‘pestered employee for sex'
A Swiss billionaire and co-owner of Chelsea FC known for funding left-wing causes has been accused of sexually harassing an employee at his California winery. Hansjorg Wyss, 89, made his fortune through a medical device manufacturer he founded and sold to Johnson & Johnson in 2012 for $20.2 billion. As well as a stake in the Premier League club Chelsea, he is the owner of the Halter Ranch winery in Paso Robles. A former employee has filed a sexual harassment lawsuit alleging Wyss subjected her to unwanted advances and lewd behaviour, including attempting to initiate a threesome with her and her husband. It is alleged that Wyss acknowledged the offences and told the employee: 'If you ever went after me for sexual harassment, you would
