A California judge threw out her claims against Simon Wednesday, calling them baseless and outrageous. It's the end of long court fight that Simon himself said he had no choice but to fight to the end.
He and his wife, Bui, faced allegations brought by their pregnant former nanny and their former chauffeur. Claudia Leite claimed she was fired after becoming pregnant. Former chauffeur Robert Young claimed he was not paid overtime and was denied rest breaks.
"We were very disappointed initially in the judicial system for allowing such nonsense to go so far, but we have been reinvigorated in the justice system because the outcome was what it should have been and the judge was able to see it."
In fact, the 61-page decision refuted all of the allegations. The judge didn't believe either former employee, writing: "Leite's efforts to paint Mrs. Simon as a Jekyll and Hyde personality contradicts the extensive evidence of Mrs. Simon's calm demeanor and her patience, loyalty and generosity over her long relationship with Leite."
The judge also denied the former chauffer's claims, writing they contained "so many mistakes and inconsistencies that the court could not accept the calculations."
Reporter: "It was basically a vote of confidence for you and your wife as far as the way you treat your employees and the way you live your life?
Simon: "Yes, complete vindication."
The lawsuit had brought unwelcome attention to one of the most prominent, but private families in Central Indiana. Besides owning the pacers, Simon's family founded the biggest mall operating company in the country.
He said the publicity didn't hurt as much as the sense of betrayal.
"It was much more difficult for my wife because she had the day-to-day interaction with these people. She's the one who showed the kindness and thoughtfulness. She's the one who cared about their health and did the kind things, my wife did it."
Simon agreed it would have been easy for him and his wife to simply write a check and settle the case, something he suspects the plaintiffs wanted. That wasn't an option for the Simon's, though.
"When we made this decision, we made it for our children. We didn't want them to think that when there's a problem, you just write a check to get out of it. We wanted them to know there is truth and to stand up for what's right."
Simon's not anxious to say that his case provides any larger legal lesson; instead he said he fought it for his family's sake and that's enough justice from him.
"There are going to be mean people out there who take advantage of the system, there's nothing you can do to stop it, but every once in a while you have to put your foot down and say this isn't right."
The judgment in the Simon's favor is technically a tentative judgment that can be appealed within 30 days.
