11. Joe Francis
He is best known as being the founder and creator of the “Girls Gone Wild” entertainment brand.
Francis worked as a production assistant on the syndicated program “Real TV” before releasing the direct-to-video film “Banned from Television” in 1998.
But this entrepreneur had a lot of legal issues throughout his career.
In June 2007, Ashley Alexandra Dupré alleged that Francis and his company filmed her without permission, but she dropped the suit after Francis released footage showing her consent. In 2008, four women sued “Girls Gone Wild” for allegedly filming them underage. In September 2012, a jury awarded Steve Wynn $20 million in a slander case against Joe Francis for claiming that Wynn had threatened to kill him over a gambling debt.
About a year ago, Joe’s “Adult Videos” empire filed for bankruptcy. Company manager Chris Dale filed Chapter 11 to keep the company from being absorbed by Wynn, Las Vegas Casino Resort. While Francis himself no longer holds stakes in the company, Wynn is apparently after the following $10.3 million trade debt “suffered by Joe Francis.”
