Swiss Billionaire Democrat Dark Money Donor Hit With Sexual Harassment Suit

Swiss billionaire Hansjörg Wyss, a major Democratic donor and owner of multiple California wineries, is accused in a lawsuit of repeatedly sexually harassing a 30-year-old former employee.

The alleged accuser, Madison Busby, alleges that Wyss, owner of Halter Ranch winery in Paso Robles, California repeatedly made unwelcome sexual advances, exposed himself, groped her, and shared graphic stories of his sexual experiences.

Busby claims that Wyss groped her during her first meeting with him in 2019, according to a report from the Washington Free Beacon. Busby’s husband, Bryce Mullins, managed the winery at the time.

The lawsuit alleges further that Wyss made lewd remarks and continued his inappropriate behavior while she worked at Halter Ranch in January 2021, including propositioning her and Mullins for sex.

NEW: Liberal megadonor Hansjorg Wyss is accused of persistently sexually harassing an employee nearly 60 years younger than him.

Wyss, a Swiss national, has contributed $652 million to Democratic dark money groups in recent years.

w/ @ChuckRossDC https://t.co/NvxUZvHvJF

— Andrew Kerr (@AndrewKerrNC) May 15, 2025

Busby claimed that Wyss told her “how much he enjoyed having a threesome, even with another man,” and further stated that Americans were “too uptight” around having affairs, according the Free Beacon report. (RELATED: Mysterious Swiss Billionaire Spent $800 Million Bankrolling Left Wing Causes, States Say No More)

Busby says Wyss retaliated after she rejected his advances by raising their rent and pressuring her to take a pay cut, according to a San Francisco Chronicle report. After she and Mullins married and had a baby, the couple moved to a smaller house on the property, where Wyss increased their rent. Fearing further retaliation and wanting to protect her and Mullins’ jobs, Busby voluntarily reduced her salary and later resigned in July 2024, filing a formal complaint on her last day.

🚨 LAWSUIT: Hansjörg Wyss, the 89-year-old Swiss billionaire who has poured millions to influence U.S. elections and leftist causes, allegedly sexually harassed one of his former winery employees on a regular basis. pic.twitter.com/y6wQhqtDTB

— Americans for Public Trust (@apublictrust) May 15, 2025

The lawsuit further claims that in May or June of 2022, the Swiss billionaire admitted to exposing himself, allegedly telling Busby, “If you ever went after me for sexual harassment, you would win.” Despite the admission, the suit states, Wyss continued his inappropriate and harassing behavior.

Wyss made his fortune founding the medical device giant Synthes and now serves as chairman of the Wyss Foundation, a philanthropic organization with $1.7 billion in assets. (RELATED: Editor Daily Rundown: Josh Hawley Calls For Uncovering Dem ‘Dark Money’ After Tesla ‘Attacks’)

Since Wyss, through his nonprofits — the Wyss Foundation and Berger Action Fund — has bankrolled environmental initiatives and left-wing groups that boost Democrats, his political influence has drawn increasing scrutiny.

Emerging as one of the largest foreign donors in U.S. politics, Wyss has funneled over $650 million through two nonprofits to liberal advocacy groups, including the Sixteen Thirty Fund and New Venture Fund, both tied to the Arabella Advisors dark money network, a report from Americans for Public Trust reveals. (RELATED: Meet The ‘New George Soros’ Using Front Groups To Influence Elections)

🚨 JUST IN: Families Over Billionaires — the progressive advocacy group claiming to fight for working families while opposing Trump tax cuts — is funded by none other than foreign billionaire Hansjorg Wyss.

➡️ https://t.co/wIU0NQhXnZ pic.twitter.com/44EWP3AH95

— Americans for Public Trust (@apublictrust) March 13, 2025

Wyss, through his groups, has also donated $5 million to the National Redistricting Action Fund, a Democratic gerrymandering group supported by Barack Obama.

While the law prohibits Wyss, a Swiss national living in Wyoming, from donating directly to political candidates, Republicans contend that he’s using a loophole to funnel contributions through nonprofits that fund state ballot initiatives and get-out-the-vote efforts, according to a Washington Examiner report.

Now, the sexual harassment lawsuit threatens to drag multiple groups into the spotlight, potentially bringing attention to their involvement in Wyss’s vast political influence.

“The Wyss Foundation and Berger Action Fund have no involvement with this matter,” a spokesperson for the groups told the Daily Caller. “The organizations’ charitable activities are totally separate from those of the Halter Ranch.”

In 2013, Wyss settled a sexual harassment lawsuit with Jacqueline Long, a former officer at Wyss’s HJW Foundation, for a reported $1.5 million.

Editor’s note: This article was updated to reflect that Wyss’s foundations made donations to left-wing groups that support Democrats and did not directly donate to Democratic candidates. 

The article has also been updated with a statement from the Wyss Foundation and Berger Action Fund.