Another head injury lawsuit has been filed against the WWE by former wrestlers claiming that the company did not disclose information regarding traumatic brain injuries as well as its “egregious mistreatment of its wrestlers.” The lawsuit was filed Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. It is the fourth lawsuit within a year filed by former WWE wrestlers.
Previously, William Albert Haynes II ( Billy Jack Haynes) filed a lawsuit in Oregon, Vito LoGrasso and Evan Singleton filed a lawsuit in Philadelphia and the widow of Nelson Lee Frazier filed a lawsuit in Tennessee.
The lawsuit filed Thursday involves Russ McCullough, Ryan Sakoda and Matthew R. Wiese. All three wrestlers reside in Southern California according to the Class Action Complaint.
There are seven causes of action in the Complaint including Fraudulent Concealment and Failure to Disclose or Warn and Negligence. The lawsuit also includes a claim of the violation of the California Unfair Competition Law. Essentially it’s a state action related to the WWE’s alleged misrepresentation/concealment of information related to “head impacts and related injuries” which were associated with performing at WWE events.
This lawsuit was filed by San Francisco-based Class Action law firm of Audet & Partners. It requests that the lawsuit be considered for class action status.
A copy of the lawsuit is here via @indeedwrestling.
Payout Perspective:
MMA Payout will keep you posted as the class action lawsuits against the WWE mount. Although we have yet to read the full 47 page Complaint, it appears to mirror the other lawsuits (specifically the Haynes lawsuit including pics embedded in the pleading) filed with respect to the WWE’s alleged failure to warn and/or disclose information about head injuries to its contracted performers. It appears that this pattern of class action lawsuits may be similar to what the NFL and NHL have seen in recent years.
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