A lawsuit has been filed containing accusations of sexual harassment against Hansjorg Wyss, the 89-year-old Swiss billionaire who is a co-owner of Chelsea Football Club.
The legal filing alleges that Wyss groped a young employee, aged 30, and suggested a “foursome” to her.
According to the lawsuit, the alleged harassment incidents took place at Halter Ranch, a winery in Paso Robles, California, owned by Wyss.
Wyss is accused of making unwanted sexual advances towards Madison Busby, an employee at the winery. Her now-husband, Bryce Mullins, was the manager of the site.
The lawsuit details a specific alleged incident: “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.”
It is also claimed that Wyss asked Mr. Mullins if he had any sexual photographs of Ms. Busby on his phone.
A spokesperson for Halter Ranch issued a strong denial of all allegations, stating, “We intend to vigorously advance the facts that surround their time at the winery and their departure.”
The lawsuit notes that Ms. Busby moved into the winery with her husband in 2020 and officially joined the staff in 2021.
During this period, Wyss allegedly made “several sexual propositions” to the 30-year-old employee and shared explicit sexual stories and tales of his affairs with the couple.
The complaint further claims that after Ms. Busby became an official employee, Wyss repeatedly suggested threesomes involving her, Mr. Mullins, and others.
The lawsuit contends that Ms. Busby did not file complaints at the time because she feared that she and her husband would lose their jobs and accommodation.
She reportedly left her employment at the winery in 2024 and has since filed the lawsuit.
In their statement denying the accusations, Halter Ranch commented on the couple`s long association with the winery: “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 winery spokesperson added that this included becoming employees, living rent-free for years, frequent travel with Wyss at his expense to Europe and the Caribbean, and involving him in their wedding, even asking him to be best man. The statement concluded that during these years, they never complained about Wyss`s conduct or chose to reduce the time spent with him, until after they voluntarily left their employment in 2024.
Hansjorg Wyss is estimated by Forbes to have a net worth of £4.2 billion. He is recognized as the founder of Synthes USA, a leading manufacturer of medical devices like internal screws and plates used for broken bones.
He was instrumental in establishing the company`s manufacturing and sales presence in the US, expanding its operations and training surgeons. He held roles including worldwide CEO and chairman until 2007 when he stepped down as CEO but remained chairman until Synthes was acquired by Johnson & Johnson in 2012 for approximately £14.7 billion in cash and stock.
Following the sale of Synthes, Wyss reportedly invested in publicly-traded biotech companies, including NovoCure and Molecular.
In 2022, Wyss was part of the consortium that purchased Chelsea Football Club after sanctions were imposed on the previous owner, Roman Abramovich.
Chelsea FC was contacted for comment regarding the lawsuit`s allegations.
