A billionaire winery owner in Paso Robles has been accused of sexually harassing an employee, attempting to get her to engage in a threesome.
Johann Georg “Hansjörg” Wyss, who owns Halter Ranch, is painting a different picture of the allegations, maintaining his innocence and saying the woman and her husband took advantage of his generosity for years.
Driving the news: Last month Madison Busby, 30, filed a lawsuit against Wyss, 89, claiming he groped, exposed himself, sexually harassed and attempted to get her to participate in a threesome with him.
- Busby met Wyss in 2019, after she met her now-husband Bryce Mullins, who was the manager of Halter Ranch. She claims in the lawsuit that Wyss made sexual comments at her and groped her when they met in 2019.
- Busby moved in with Mullins at a home on the Halter Ranch property the following year and was hired by Wyss in 2021 to work for Halter Ranch as an architect.
- Wyss allegedly stayed in the home with Busby and Mullins when he would visit Halter Ranch and pursued a threesome with them.
- The lawsuit also accuses Wyss of asking for a foursome with them and a friend of his named Lori. Wyss allegedly showed them a video of him and Lori having phone sex.
- Busby and Mullins asked Wyss if they could move into a smaller home at Halter Ranch, according to the lawsuit, in order to avoid him. Busby eventually took maternity leave, and Wyss began charging them $1,650 per month for rent and asked to decrease their salaries.
- Busby resigned from her position at Halter Ranch in July 2024 after sending an email to Wyss where she detailed instances of inappropriate behavior.
- Wyss allegedly responded by firing Mullins after Busby’s email.
Go deeper: Mullins also filed a lawsuit against Wyss, claiming the billionaire had promised significant equity to him worth at least $30 million but never delivered.
- Mullins claimed he was forced to work two jobs for one salary in intolerable work conditions in order to receive the equity promise.
Zoom in: Wyss has been in the winery business since 2000, when he purchased Halter Ranch and expanded it to cover over 2,700 acres that includes grapevines, walnut trees and olive trees.
- He made his fortune, which reportedly totals nearly $5 billion, through Synthes, a medical device manufacturer that was sold to Johnson & Johnson in 2012 for $20.2 billion.
The other side: Wyss’ law firm said in a statement to multiple media outlets that Mullins and Busby voluntarily made themselves part of the Halter Ranch community and took advantage of his generosity for nearly five years.
- “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,” the law firm said.
- The firm denied the allegations and said it intends to vigorously advance the facts that surround Mullins’ and Busby’s time at the winery and their departure.
- “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,” the law firm said.
