A settlement ended a 15-year breach-of-contract battle on Thursday between Las Vegas Sands Corp. and a Hong Kong businessman who helped the U.S. company open its first casino in the Chinese gambling enclave of Macau.
Richard Suen, his lawyers and attorneys for Sands said the agreement prohibited them from disclosing terms of the settlement.
But Suen emerged from a Las Vegas courtroom telling The Associated Press that the battle he waged since 2004 was "worth it" for what he called "the sense of justice."
FILE - In this April 4, 2013, file photo, Hong Kong businessman Richard Suen, right, waits as counsel addresses the judge during a trial against the Las Vegas Sands Corp., in Clark County district court in Las Vegas. Jurors considering how much Suen should receive from Las Vegas Sands Corp. for help opening its first casino in Macau 15 years ago are seeing videotaped testimony from ailing billionaire Sands chief Sheldon Adelson. Attorneys for Sands argue that Richard Suen should get a fraction of the $347 million he's seeking in a long-fought breach-of-contract lawsuit. (AP PhotoJulie Jacobson, File)
A judge informed jurors of the settlement and dismissed them ahead of a second day of videotaped testimony from ailing billionaire Sands chief Sheldon Adelson. The trial that started Wednesday had been expected to last until mid-April.
The company disclosed recently that Adelson, the 85-year-old board chairman, CEO and Republican national party donor is being treated for cancer and has not been at the company's Las Vegas offices for more than two months.
Sands attorney Richard Sauber told jurors the sides had reached "an amicable settlement and resolution."
FILE - In this May 25, 2012 file photo, Sands Casino complex is lit up in Macau. Jurors considering how much a Hong Kong businessman should receive from Las Vegas Sands Corp. for help opening its first casino in Macau 15 years ago are seeing videotaped testimony from ailing billionaire Sands chief Sheldon Adelson. Attorneys for Sands argue that Richard Suen should get a fraction of the $347 million he's seeking in a long-fought breach-of-contract lawsuit. (AP PhotoVincent Yu, File)
Outside, Suen attorneys John O'Malley and James Jimmerson called it a fair end to the case.
They had argued that Suen and his company, Round Square Co., should get almost $347 million for introducing Adelson and Sands executives to key Chinese officials with influence to grant a coveted Macau gambling license.
Sauber countered in court on Wednesday with a $3.76 million figure, accusing Suen of abandoning Adelson and Sands to find other advice in 2001— long before the Sands Macau casino opened in 2004.
"Although the dollars are confidential, we're very pleased," O'Malley told AP. "This settlement completely resolves the litigation. There will be no more appeals."
Ron Reese, spokesman for publicly traded Sands, declined to comment.
It wasn't immediately clear if financial details would be reported to federal Securities and Exchange Commission regulators.
Company stock closed Thursday at $59.42.
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Delcy Rodríguez, who served as vice president to Nicolas Maduro and has vowed to work with the Trump administration, was sworn in as interim president of Venezuela in the country’s parliament building.
Rodríguez was sworn in by her brother, National Assembly leader Jorge Rodríguez.
“I come with sorrow for the suffering inflicted upon the Venezuelan people following an illegitimate military aggression against our homeland,” she said with her right hand up. “I come with sorrow for the kidnapping of two heroes.”
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — The Venezuelan government on Monday sought to show its people and the world that the country is being run independently and not controlled by the United States following its stunning weekend arrest of Nicolás Maduro, the authoritarian leader who had ruled for almost 13 years.
Lawmakers aligned with the ruling party, including Maduro's son, gathered in the capital, Caracas, to follow through with a scheduled swearing-in ceremony of the National Assembly for a term that will last until 2031. They reelected their longtime speaker — the brother of the newly named interim president, Delcy Rodríguez — and gave speeches focused on condemning Maduro's capture Saturday by U.S. forces.
“If we normalize the kidnapping of a head of state, no country is safe. Today, it’s Venezuela. Tomorrow, it could be any nation that refuses to submit," Maduro's son, Nicolás Maduro Guerra, said at the legislative palace in his first public appearance since Saturday. "This is not a regional problem. It is a direct threat to global political stability."
Maduro Guerra, also known as “Nicolasito,” demanded that his father and stepmother, Cilia Flores, be returned to the South American country and called on international support. Maduro Guerra, the deposed leader's only son, also denounced being named as a co-conspirator in the federal indictment charging his father and Flores.
While Venezuelan lawmakers met, Maduro made his first court appearance in a U.S. courtroom on the narco-terrorism charges the Trump administration used to justify capturing him and taking him to New York. Maduro declared himself “innocent” and a “decent man” as he pleaded not guilty to federal drug-trafficking charges.
The U.S. seized Maduro and Flores in a military operation Saturday, capturing them in their home on a military base. President Donald Trump said the U.S. would “run” Venezuela temporarily, but Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Sunday that it would not govern the country day-to-day other than enforcing an existing ” oil quarantine.”
Rubio said the U.S. was using pressure on Venezuela's oil industry as a way to push for policy changes. "We expect to see that there will be changes, not just in the way the oil industry is run for the benefit of the people, but also so that they stop the drug trafficking,” Rubio said on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”
On Sunday, Rodríguez said Venezuela is seeking “respectful relations” with the U.S., a shift from a more defiant tone she struck in the immediate aftermath of Maduro’s capture.
“We invite the US government to collaborate with us on an agenda of cooperation oriented towards shared development within the framework of international law to strengthen lasting community coexistence,” Rodríguez said in a statement. Her conciliatory message came after Trump threatened that she could “pay a very big price” if she did not fall in line with U.S. demands.
Before taking the oath of office, Venezuelan lawmaker Grecia Colmenares said she would “take every giant step to bring back (to Venezuela) the bravest of the brave, Nicolás Maduro Moreno, and our first lady, Cilia Flores.”
“I swear by the shared destiny we deserve,” she said.
A State Department official said Monday that the Trump administration is making preliminary plans to reopen the U.S. embassy in Venezuela.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal administration deliberations, said early preparations “to allow for a reopening” of the embassy in Caracas had begun in the event Trump decides to return American diplomats to the country.
Associated Press Writer Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.
FILE - Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, left, and his son Nicolas Maduro Guerra who is running to represent Caracas as a lawmaker for the National Assembly attend a closing campaign rally for the regional election on May 25, in Caracas, Venezuela, May 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos, File)
Pro-government armed civilians attend a protest demanding the release of President Nicolas Maduro and first lady Cilia Flores, the day after U.S. forces captured and flew them to the United States, in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
A government supporter holds an action figure of Super Bigote during a protest demanding the release of President Nicolas Maduro, who was captired by U.S. forces, in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
Government supporters demand President Nicolas Maduro's release from U.S. custody during a protest in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
