Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss provides millions in yearly funding to several environmental NGOs with branches in Utah and surrounding states. The primary purpose of these groups is to stop economic development of natural resources on public lands, and to impede multiple uses such as livestock grazing, logging and motorized recreation. The Canyon Country Discover Center is apparently closed to the public indefinitely.
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Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance: Wyss serves on its board and has provided funding through the Wyss Foundation, though specific amounts for Utah projects are not detailed, although based on publicly available information, it could be from $100,000 to $200,000 annually.
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Grand Canyon Trust: Wyss is a board member, and the Wyss Foundation has supported its efforts, with grants contributing to broader regional activism.
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Canyon Country Discovery Center (formerly Four Corners School of Outdoor Education): Is currently closed to the public for unknown reasons. The Wyss Foundation donated $25,000 in 2021 and previously funded the construction of its campus, which opened in 2015 and has relied on donations, grants and tourist vistitation, which has dropped in recent years.
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Conservation Lands Foundation: While not Utah-specific, this group has supported the designation of Bears Ears National Monument. The Wyss Foundation donated approximately $4.5 million from 2011 to 2013.
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The Nature Conservancy: TNC has ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and is currently under investigation by the House Oversight Committee. The Wyss Foundation donated $12.5 million in 2008 and $35 million from 2009 to 2010, with some efforts impacting Utah.
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The Wilderness Society: Wyss is on its governing council, and the Wyss Foundation has provided significant funding, though exact Utah allocations are unspecified. Based on publicly available information, however, their take from Wyss is likely $1 million to $4 million annually.
~FRR
- Initial Incident (2019): Busby, then 30, alleges that during her first meeting with Wyss in September 2019, he groped her by placing his hand on her butt while she was cooking and made inappropriate comments about her appearance in a dress. These actions occurred in the presence of her now-husband, Bryce Mullins, who was the winery’s general manager at the time.
- Ongoing Harassment (2020–2024): After Busby began working at Halter Ranch in January 2021, Wyss allegedly escalated his behavior, including:
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Propositioning Busby and Mullins for group sex, including suggesting a “threesome” or “foursome” with another woman named “Lori.”
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Sharing graphic details of his sexual exploits, including affairs outside his marriage and a story about a threesome in Switzerland.
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Exposing himself to Busby and Mullins and inviting them to undress.
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Showing Busby a video of a woman (Lori) during phone sex and discussing his sexual activities with her.
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Retaliation: Busby claims that after rejecting Wyss’s advances, he retaliated by increasing the couple’s rent from $300 to $1,650 per month after they moved to a smaller house on the winery property in 2022, which was too small for Wyss to stay in during visits. She also alleges she was pressured to take a pay cut.
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Admission by Wyss: In 2022, Wyss allegedly told Busby, “If you ever went after me for sexual harassment, you would win,” but continued his inappropriate behavior.
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Resignation: Busby resigned in July 2024, citing emotional distress and anxiety caused by Wyss’s conduct. She filed her lawsuit on her last day, seeking compensation for lost wages, emotional distress, and other damages.
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Bryce Mullins’ Lawsuit: Mullins, Busby’s husband, filed a separate lawsuit on April 1, 2025, claiming Wyss wrongfully terminated him after Busby’s complaint and reneged on a promise of equity in Halter Ranch worth approximately $30 million.
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Halter Ranch has denied the allegations, stating that Busby and Mullins “took advantage of [Wyss’s] generosity” by living rent-free for years, traveling with Wyss at his expense, and inviting him to serve as best man at their wedding. The winery claims the couple never complained about Wyss’s conduct during their nearly five-year tenure and intends to “vigorously advance the facts” in court.
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A spokesperson for the Wyss Foundation and Berger Action Fund stated that these organizations have no involvement with the lawsuit, emphasizing that their charitable activities are separate from Halter Ranch.
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Previous Lawsuit (2013): Wyss settled a sexual harassment lawsuit with Jacqueline Long, a former officer at his HJW Foundation, for $1.5 million in 2013. Long alleged brutal sexual assault, including non-consensual acts, and claimed Wyss used grants to nonprofits as leverage for sexual favors.
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2011 Incident: A sexual assault investigation involving Long was reopened in 2018 by the Morris County, New Jersey, prosecutor but did not result in charges.
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2000 Lawsuit: Another former employee, Diane E. Bailey, sued Wyss in 2000, alleging a hostile work environment at Synthes, his medical device company, citing sexually offensive behavior. The case was dismissed, though the judge noted the incidents were undisputed.
- Wyss has not personally commented on the allegations, and his legal team is preparing to defend him in court.
The case has drawn attention due to Wyss’s prominence as a Democratic donor, having contributed over $650 million to liberal advocacy groups like the Sixteen Thirty Fund and New Venture Fund through his Wyss Foundation and Berger Action Fund. There is no indication that these groups plan to return his contributions.
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