Vegas judge to try Sands wrongful termination suit

LAS VEGAS, March 15 (Reuters) - A state judge in Las Vegas ruled that a wrongful termination lawsuit filed by the former chief executive of Las Vegas Sands Corp's Macau unit will be heard in the Nevada court.

Steven Jacobs is suing the casino operator after being fired last summer from the CEO post at Sands China Ltd.

In a hearing on Tuesday, attorneys for Sands argued that the dispute should be moved to Macau, but Judge Elizabeth Gonzalez ruled against the motion.

She called for the two sides -- including personnel from Sands -- to meet on April 22 to discuss the possibility of a settlement.

Accusations by Jacobs that Sands employed 'improper leverage' and other questionable practices have sparked investigations of the company by the U.S. Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.

(Reporting by Timothy Pratt; Editing by Tim Dobbyn) Keywords: LASVEGASSANDS LAWSUIT/ ([e-mail]; + 1 213-955-6746) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.