A former executive in casino magnate Sheldon Adelson's empire is taking the legal fight over his 2010 dismissal as head of operations in Macau to federal court.
A lawsuit filed Jan. 29 in Las Vegas seeks a jury trial and unspecified damages on the question of whether Steven Jacobs was an employee of Las Vegas Sands Corp. or its subsidiary, Venetian Macau Ltd.
A Las Vegas Sands official said Tuesday the same question was raised before, and dismissed, in a Nevada state court lawsuit the two sides have been fighting since 2010.
Company spokesman Ron Reese characterized Jacobs' federal as "procedural sleight of hand" and says Venetian Macau Ltd. will address it in federal court.
Jacobs maintains he was fired for trying to expose allegedly improper activities in Macau.