Swiss billionaire and co-owner of the Premier League’s Chelsea Football Club Hansjorg Wyss was sued for alleged sexual harassment and wrongful termination by two former employees of his Paso Robles winery.
Wyss’ former employees, Madison Busby and Bryce Mullins, are married and allege they endured mistreatment for years while employed at Halter Ranch.
“After Ms. Busby was hired, Mr. Wyss began to proposition Ms. Busby and Mr. Mullins to have sex with him, either as a group or with Ms. Busby alone, and Mr. Wyss began trying to insert himself into their sex lives,” Busby’s April 21 lawsuit filed in San Luis Obispo Superior Court said.
“Mr. Wyss abruptly terminated Mr. Mullins’ employment in or about early August 2024, in apparent retaliation for Ms. Busby having made (in a July 31, 2024 email to Mr. Wyss) a formal complaint about the sexual harassment and hostile work environment she endured during her employment at Halter Ranch,” Mullins’ April 1 complaint read.
Wyss, 89, made his fortune as the founder of Synthes, a medical device manufacturer making internal screws and plates for broken bones since the 1970s. In 2000, Wyss bought ranchland in Paso Robles and converted it into a 2,700-acre vineyard and winery.
“For years, however, Halter Ranch struggled financially and operated at significant financial loss to Mr. Wyss,” Mullins’ lawsuit said. “Then, in 2018, he determined to turn the business around and make it profitable before his death.”
As part of this goal, Wyss persuaded Mullins, who was working as an investment analyst in the billionaire’s family office, to become the ranch manager. Mullins grew to become the winery’s vice president and general manger.
During his time at the winery, Mullins began dating and eventually married Busby. They lived in a house on the property as employees of the winery.
Starting in 2021, Wyss allegedly explicitly talked about his sex life and extramarital affairs to Busby, making her uncomfortable. She claimed in her lawsuit that she remained silent because she was afraid to jeopardize her and her husband’s jobs.
“At one point, Mr. Wyss himself admitted that he understood that his comments and behavior towards Ms. Busby were unwanted and made her extremely uncomfortable,” her complaint read. “In May or June of 2022, Mr. Wyss told Ms. Busby and Mr. Mullins that ‘if you ever went after me for sexual harassment, you would win.'”
Wyss allegedly began retaliating when the couple decided to move to a smaller home on the property for more privacy after Busby became pregnant. The overall experience made her seek medical care, ultimately being prescribed anxiety medication. Busby resigned in July 2024.
Halter Ranch media person Audrey Young passed a statement from the winery to New Times saying that the couple’s allegations aren’t true. The statement added that they neither complained about Wyss’ conduct nor declined to spend so much time with him while they were employed.
“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 said. “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.”
This isn’t the first time a former employee has accused Wyss of misconduct. In 2013, a Colorado woman named Jacqueline Long sued him in federal district court, alleging that he enticed her to sell her own property and move into Wyss’ $15 million property in Pitkin County.
As part of that agreement, Long had to enter a personal relationship with him and work for various entities like Halter Ranch and the Wyss Foundation. She alleged that Wyss suddenly ended negotiations with the builder and realtor and failed to purchase the property, resulting in economic and emotional damage for her.
Long eventually dismissed the complaint. Case management conferences in the Mullins and Busby cases against Wyss are scheduled for August. Δ
Clarification: Halter Ranch media person Audrey Young contacted New Times after the publication of this story to clarify that she’s a spokesperson for the company. This story has been updated to reflect the change.
This article appears in Summer Guide 2025.