Paso Robles Winery Owner accused of Sexual Misconduct and Harassment by Former Employee
Alissa Orozco
PASO ROBLES, Calif. – The owner of a Paso Robles winery is being accused of sexual misconduct by a former employee over the course of three years.
Swiss billionaire Hansjörg Wyss is accused of exposing himself, making sexual advances and comments, and groping Madison Busby when she was employed at his Paso Robles winery, Halter Ranch, from January 2021 to July 2024.
Established in 2000, the 2,700 acre estate sits in the westernmost boundaries of Paso Robles, in the Santa Lucia Mountain Range. The property has had a total of six owners, including current proprietor Hansjörg Wyss, who named the property after his mother Alice Halter.
A lawsuit from the San Luis Obispo County Superior Court details Busby’s alleged interactions with Wyss throughout the course of her employment, which she says were not disclosed at the time because she did not want to jeopardize the career of her now husband, Bryce Mullins, also previously employed by Wyss.
Busby met and began dating Mullins in 2019. Mullins was a manager at the winery, and Busby made her first visit to Halter Ranch that September. Upon their first interaction, she claims Wyss placed her hand on her and groped her. Then further commenting on how “good” she looked in the days following. Busby was 30-years-old at the time, Wyss was 84-years-old.
The lawsuit details how this was only the start of a series of inappropriate behavior from Wyss towards Ms. Busby, and it escalated when Busby then began working alongside Mullins to renovate the Ridge House, a large property near the estate Wyss had purchased, where the couple lived.
The lawsuit mentions the various affairs Wyss was having that he told to Busby, including one with a woman named “Lori.” Wyss would visit the Halter Ranch often, staying with Ms. Busby and Mullins where he “began trying to insert himself into their sex lives.” Making comments about their sex lives and attempting to engage in sexual relations with the couple.
The couple would take frequent trips with Wyss, in which both Bubsy and Mullins were subject to the Wyss’ unwanted sexual stories and comments.
“Despite being bothered and unsettled by Mr. Wyss’s behavior, Busby felt pressured and compelled to stay silent because he was her employer and her husband’s employer,” the lawsuit says.
Busby claims she seeked treatment for the extreme anxiety and stress caused by Wyss’ behavior, and according to the lawsuit, Wyss was aware of his inappropriate behavior. Telling Busby and Mullins in May or June of 2022, “if you ever went after me for sexual harassment, you would win.”
When the couple married and expecting their first child, Busby expressed wanting to move out of Ridge House and into Dubost House, a much smaller residence – its size meant Wyss could no longer stay with them when he visited. Wyss insisted they stay in Ridge House, but when they denied Wyss demanded they start paying the “market value” rent of $1,650 a month at Dubost House – a significant increase from $300 a month paid by the previous renter.
The continued misconduct and unwanted sexual behavior forced Busby to resigned, her last day being July 31st, 2024.
Busby filed a complaint with the California Department of Fair Housing and Housing against Wyss in April 2025 regarding sexual harassment, sexual battery retaliation, wrongful termination, intentional infliction of emotional distress.
“Mr. Wyss continued to make offensive statements about women, was either unable or unwilling to correct his behavior, and retaliated against both Ms. Busby and Mr. Mullins for their attempts to avoid his harassment.”
The lawsuit seeks “actual, compensatory, general and special damages, including lostearnings, back-pay, future-pay, lost employment benefits, and unpaid wages in an amount to be proven at trial.”
Halter Ranch provided the following statement to the San Francisco Chronicle:
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 it owner’s generosity. 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.
Through all these years, they never complained about the owner’s conduct, or simply declined to spend so much time with him, until after they voluntarily left their employment at the winery in 2024.”
Bryce Mullins filed his own lawsuit against Wyss in April 2025.
Your News Channel has reached out to Halter Ranch for additional comments.