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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
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.
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.
